Your guide to The Titan War II: The Last Olympian
by I.Tripped.Over.Reality
Summary: <html><head></head>Apollo, being the god of prophecies receives a book, a guide to the upcoming second Titan War. Will the gods and demigods be able to defeat Kronos causing minimum damage? Or will the future change? Only time will tell...[Temporary Hiatus]</html>
1. Prologue: Apollo has a bad headache

**A/N: Hi! This is my first time writing fanfiction! I have ideas galore****, but honestly I'm one of those people who aren't very good with continuing stuff, so I take time. If you like it then please review! And are there any willing Beta Readers out there? :D**

Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy (**cryptic** prophecies), music (and terrible haikus), intellectual pursuits (which you can't really see in the god himself), healing, plague, and the sun (he was hot enough… for a certain daughter of Zeus anyway…) was chilling on his AWESOMELY comfortable, soft, and bouncy bed, with the air conditioning on full blast. Hey! You can't blame him! Try roaming around in a sun chariot all day… you'll be scorched! Even gods want comfort, you know.

Although he was relaxing, he was tensed. The (evil) Titan Kronos was planning to take over the world and cause destruction and havoc. Monsters that never stirred in aeons were waking up from the pits of Tartarus, the biggest threat being Typhon, a monster so terribly dangerous that the gods barely defeated him last time, in the first Titan War.

There was a splitting headache in Apollo's head. He groaned in pain and put his hands to his temples and tried healing himself but no avail. This had been happening since the past two weeks, and the pain just got worse everyday. A vision, a prophecy was trying to literally burn its way out of his mind. But this was different. A vision wouldn't cause him physical pain. Apollo knew something different, dangerous, even, was going on.

Something that could change the future.

The pain was unbearable today. Worse than Ares attacking him with hammers (and yes, he remembers a past experience, though that is another story).

"GET OUT OF MY BLOODY HEAD!" Apollo screamed, losing his composure.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and flames, that engulfed him for what seemed like eternity. The pain was so bad he was about to pass out. When he was just about to slip into unconsciousness, the pain subsided. The light and fire was gone and everything was back to normal.

Apollo lay on his bed, eyes closed, his breath coming out in short gasps. A while later, he composed himself and got completely rid of the pain. He opened his eyes to see something floating in front of him.

It was a book.

**DUN DUN DUN :D**

**Like it? Hate it? REVIEW please!  
>Flames aren't appreciated but go ahead if you must.<br>Got some constructive criticism? BRING IT ON!**

**I've got quite a long fic planned… if this prologue is a success, then I guess I'll continue. I know this is short but bear with me! Maybe I'll put up a chapter so you get a better idea of what Imma do? Thanks for spending your time!  
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	2. Go cruising with explosives

**A/N: Wow! I got a great response for such a short prologue in just one day! I am SO gonna continue this! I have a lot of time on my hands and I need something to keep me occupied, so as long as school doesn't be a bitch and come in the way, I'll be updating regularly!**

**And Holy Poseidon! I'm so OVERWHELMED by the amazing response I got!**

**I'd like to thank:**

**The 116 people who read my story (visitors) and the 22 people who visited it again and again (hits - visitors)**

**LaVerite, melandu95 and koolgy for adding this story to their favourite stories list. THANK YOU!**

**DIGIFAN99, chloexo, annabethsmyname16, Elizabeth Kristene Black and Carlough for adding this story to their Story Alert subscription. :D Thanks!**

**And last, but DEFINITELY NOT the least, MY REVIEWERS!**

**LaVerite: Thank you! I sure will**

**annabethsmyname16: Thanks! I'll do my best to make it so :D**

**Smile Life Away: Thank you! Yeah, I was planning to build up to 'It was a book' but in the end I didn't do it because I couldn't think of anything else an exhausted Apollo would think of when he sees a book**

**That's all for now. And yeah, since I didn't already say so in the prologue:**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. ONLY NEW CHARACTERS (IF ANY) AND THE PLOT IS MINE.  
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><p>Apollo was exhausted. He really needed to sleep. Sometimes, when the damage is too high, a god, be it the god of healing, cannot heal himself immediately. They require rest too. In his case, it was so bad that he could barely read the title – Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian, before his eyes closed without his permission and he slipped into sweet sleep.<p>

His last thought before he fell asleep was – We need an emergency council tomorrow.

Apollo Iris messaged Zeus about what happened last night. He had arranged an URGENT priority meeting. All gods, including Hades had to be present.

Gods, and demigods.

* * *

><p><strong>AT CAMP HALF BLOOD<strong>

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, were taking an early stroll on the beach.

"So…" said Annabeth.  
>"So?" asked Percy.<p>

Annabeth sighed.

"Whats new, Seaweed brain?"  
>"Oh, nothing really"<p>

Annabeth sighed again.

Boys.

Such idiots. Especially ones that went by the name of 'Seaweed brain'.

They walked on to a far off area on the beach, which was Percy's favourite.

Slowly, he slipped his hand through hers.

Annabeth was shocked, but pleasantly so.

They sat on a rock, with their feet in the water.

The presence of the sea around him gave Percy much needed calm and confidence. He put his arm around Annabeth's waist and she sighed in contentment as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Annabeth?" asked Percy softly.  
>"Hmm?" she whispered into his ear, her warm, sweet breath tickling him.<br>"I- I've realized, that you know, with all this war around us, so many demigods dying, it hurts to lose people", he said, pain evident in his voice.  
>"I know. Its one of the reasons war is terrible", she replied. As an afterthought, she added, "What all are your fears?<br>"Me? Well, losing my parents. My friends. Tyson, my half brother. And…" he trailed off.  
>"And?" she prompted.<p>

Percy turned to face her, a look of seriousness she'd never seen in his eyes. He cupped her cheek in his right hand and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face with his left.

"And, I'm afraid of losing the person who matters a lot to me. The person I l-"

"PERSEUS JACKSON! WHAT THE HADES ARE YOU DOING WITH MY DAUGHTER?" Athena screamed through an Iris message. She looked like she was about to rip Percy's head off.

Percy immediately scooted away from Annabeth as she groaned inside silently.

"Thanks for interrupting what was probably his confession, Mom!" she thought in her head as she blushed madly, only to see Percy doing the same.

Behind an angry Athena, Aphrodite was freaking out.

"EEEEEEE! You both make SUCH a CUTE couple! ATHENA! WHY did you HAVE to interrupt Percy? He was about to ki-

"HI APHRODITE!" Percy screamed before she could continue and anger an already fuming Athena. Besides, he didn't want Annabeth to hear about his love for her from anyone except himself.

She saw him and seemed to have got the message as she smiled at him sweetly, already dreaming about how she'd intervene in his love life.

"Annabeth!" Athena exclaimed, frowning.

Annabeth sighed.

"Its okay mom. I'm sure something important must have happened if you IMed us just **now**", she said, emphasizing the 'now' bitterly.

"Right", said Athena, thankfully regaining her composure. "Something important has come up. We need you and that good for nothing sea spawn up here in Olympus"

Percy looked confused and Annabeth frowned. This was not good. "Mom, what happened so urgent that you need us there?", she said.

"Zeus will address us all together. Now go and inform Chiron, my dear. I'll see you and sea spawn up here in an hour. Bye sweetheart, I love you", said Athena, dissolving the IM with a swipe of her hand.

"I love you too mom", Annabeth murmered, lost in her thoughts.

"Lets go, Wise Girl", said Percy, walking towards the Camp.  
>"Yeah", she replied distractedly, following Percy.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AT THE CAMP SITE OF THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS<strong>

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis was practicing her aim at a tree, desperately trying to forget the god she had a secret crush on. As a Huntress of Artemis, it was forbidden to fall for a boy and Thalia didn't want to break the vow she had taken when she first joined.

"I-Hate-You-Apollo", she tried to convince herself, as she fired arrows at his face in her mind. Suddenly, right where her target was, his face materialized from the mist.

"AAAAAH!" she screamed, taken aback. Thankfully, she didn't fire the arrow and break the IM connection.

"Hey Thalia", Apollo grinned.  
>"Apollo! What are you doing here?" Thalia asked.<p>

He pouted cutely. "No!" she told herself. "Not cutely, idiotically".

"Can't I talk to you, Thalia?" he asked, feigning hurt.

Thalia rolled her eyes at his casual flirting.

"I am the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis and I'm not sure Lady Artemis will be happy to see her brother flirting with her Lieutenant", said Thalia, smirking.

Apollo shrugged. "Well, something important has cropped up and we need you here at Olympus. Artemis already knows about it. We'll meet you both here in an hour", he said, all serious now.

Thalia nodded. She knew better than to question right now, Lady Artemis would explain later. Besides, Apollo looked serious, which was rare.

Apollo's face dissolved as the IM vanished and Thalia sighed and went to Lady Artemis' tent.

* * *

><p><strong>OUTSIDE MC DONALDS<strong>

A boy wearing a black jacket, ripped jeans and aviators with bruise like shadows underneath his eyes materialized out of the shadows. He looked exhausted and famished.

He was the Son of Hades, god of the Underworld. His name was Nico di Angelo.

He bought two large burgers and a Coke with large fries with his limited money and searched for shelter from the pouring rain. He found a rock that was mercifully dry and sat on it, underneath a tree that provided him protection from the rain.  
>He bit into his first burger and within a matter of minutes he had finished all his food. Hey! Try being a demigod who isn't accepted at Camp Half Blood because he's the Son of Hades and has to fend for himself, and you'll be just as hungry as he was!<p>

The sun shone brightly and the rain fell hard and fast. Suddenly, the sky burst into a beautiful, bright rainbow and a misty screen appeared in front of him.

An Iris Message with a rainbow around.  
>Cool huh?<p>

His father's face materialized on the screen.

"Father!" Nico exclaimed.

Hades didn't smile.

"I'm sorry son, I don't have much time". On hearing that, Nico's face fell. "Zeus is furious. But the thing is, since you're one of the children of the Big Three, we need you here. Its important. Go to the Empire State Building and ask for the 600th floor. You'll meet us there at Olympus in an hour. Hurry, son!"

And with those words, his image vanished and Nico sighed and prepared himself for more shadow travel.

* * *

><p><strong>AT THE 600th FLOOR OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING (AKA MOUNT OLYMPUS)<strong>

The gods had all assembled for the emergency council.

There was Zeus sitting at the head of the table, neat as ever in his pinstripe suit and trim beard.  
>On his right was Athena, looking grim as she ran through the possibilities of why they had all been called here.<br>To her right sat Hephaestus, who was fiddling with his spare machine parts, thinking about new machines and weapons.  
>Next to him sat his (unfaithful) wife Aphrodite, who was busy smooching Ares, god of War (who sat right next to her) as everyone ignored the couple that was moaning and groaning lustfully.<br>Dionysus had created a curtain of grapevines next to him so that he wouldn't have to see the couple that was heavily making out right next to him. He looked bored.  
>Next to him was Poseidon, eager to see his son and also curious about what the emergency meeting was for.<br>Right besides him sat Hestia, calm and collected as ever.  
>Next to her sat Artemis, goddess of the hunt, who was presently irritated because of Apollo and Hermes' antics.<p>

Next to her were four empty chairs, meant for the demigods.  
>At the end of the rows of chairs sat Apollo and next to him Hermes, and on Hermes' side sat Hades on his temporary throne, Persephone next to him with Demeter by her side.<br>Next to Demeter, on Zeus' left sat Hera, grumbling to herself about having to see Thalia, her stepdaughter.

"Where are the demigods?" Zeus boomed dangerously, and somewhere, a part of the world was experiencing a dangerous thunderstorm.

As if on cue, all four of them entered the meeting, slightly scared by Zeus' bad temper. Well, all except Thalia who was used to her dad's anger management problems.

"We are here, father", said Thalia.

Zeus cracked a smile and Thalia felt… overwhelmed.  
>Her father looked happy to see her!<p>

Hera rolled her eyes in disgust as Thalia shot her looks that could kill. She bowed slightly to Artemis and went to sit in the empty seat beside her. Annabeth walked with her, pleasantly surprised to see Thalia there. Percy and Nico followed them warily, for their own reasons. Percy because Athena was shooting him death glares and Nico because well, he felt unneeded and unwanted here. His father didn't even have a permanent throne! He felt bitter about that.

"Ahhem", Zeus cleared his throat. "I'm sure you all are curious as to why we have all assembled here at this emergency meeting, especially with the demigods here".

"Ahh… the demigods are cumbersome, but all I care about is the fact that I'm missing being at that wretched camp for a day", interrupted Dionysus in contentment.

Zeus glared at Dionysus. "Dionysus, next time you interrupt me, I'll blast you out of the sky".

The pudgy wine god immediately sat up straight and shut his mouth.

Zeus continued. "Apollo IMed me early in the morning about something important he found today. Apollo, would you like to tell us the story?"

"Yes father", said Apollo, and launched into the details of what had happened at night. He produced the book, boldly titled 'Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian'.

Percy reddened at seeing a book with his name.

Apollo read out the summary of the book that was written at the back:

**MOST PEOPLE GET PRESENTS ON THEIR SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY. I GET A PROPHECY THAT COULD SAVE OR DESTROY THE WORLD. **

Poseidon winced at that. So did all the other gods who knew the prophecy, and Annabeth, who knew it as well.

Apollo continued.

**That's how it is when you're the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. According to an ancient prophecy, bad things will happen when I turn sixteen – because I'm the one who gets to decide the fate of the entire world. But no pressure.**

**This is the one where Kronos, Lord of the Titans, is beginning his attack on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded.**

"WHAT!" everyone at the meeting chorused.

Apollo resumed reading before everyone could start complaining all at once.

**Oh, and the dreaded (and not to mention enormous) monster Typhon is also heading our way.**

All the gods at the table paled visibly.

**So it's me and forty of my demigod friends versus untold evil…**

"Bah! You demigods are equal to nothing! This will be the downfall of Olympus!" Dionysus burst out but shut up at getting a look from Zeus.

**CAN PERCY STOP THE RAMPAGE OF THE TITANS, TO SAVE OLYMPUS AND HIMSELF?**

"No", chorused everyone except Annabeth, Percy and Poseidon.

"Well, thank you everyone. That was so comforting", said Percy sarcastically.

"You're welcome", Apollo chuckled.

"What do you all propose? Should we read this book?" asked Zeus.

There was a chorus of yes and no.

Three guesses as to which side Ares and Dionysus were on.

"One by one", said Zeus, glaring at everyone.

Athena spoke first.

"Father, I propose we should read this book. It is quite possible that this would act as a guide for the future. We may have the upper hand if we know what is going to happen in the future. Also, we'll know whether we win or lose this battle"

There was a grave silence.

"B-but what if this isn't true?" asked Percy.

Athena rolled her eyes and Apollo explained.

"That isn't possible, Percy. See, this is something that I guess I sort of… created. I am the god of prophecies and truth. This has to be what will happen in the future, and I can sense no lies from this book. Besides, we could read the first chapter, see what happens and see if it actually happens in real life".

"Well I guess that makes sense", Percy mumbled.

"All in favour of reading this, raise your hands", said Zeus.

Eighteen hands went up, the only exception being Ares. Apollo looked at Dionysus in disbelief.

"You want to read?" he exclaimed.

Dionysus shrugged. "Better than being at that wretched camp".

The demigods grinned. This was more like the Mr.D they knew.

"I'll start reading", said Athena, as she cleared her throat and flipped to the first chapter.

"**Go cruising with explosives**" she started.

**The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car.**

Hermes, Ares and Apollo snickered as Hera, Artemis and Athena rolled their eyes.

Boys. So immature.

**Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't turn sixteen for another week, but my mom and my stepdad, Paul,**

Poseidon stiffened. So Sally had married another man? He sighed. He loved that woman. She was the only one who truly captured his heart. Oh well, he figured she needed to move on.

**took my friend Rachel **

Now Annabeth stiffened and glared at Percy. Percy gulped. He was with Rachel? This was probably going to be some trouble. Aphrodite noticed this and squealed like a girl, as Hermes and Apollo snickered, Athena glared and Poseidon looked at his son sympathetically.

**and me to this private stretch of beach on the South Shore and Paul let us borrow his Prius for a short spin.**

"Sea Spawn, you shouldn't be driving without a license", Athena started to lecture, but Hades cut her off.

"Oh come on, Athena, one week wouldn't make much difference would it? Please continue", he said.

Percy shot a grateful look at his… Uncle, who grunted and looked away.

**Now I know you're thinking, Wow, that was really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah**

Everyone but Athena chuckled at the coincidence. Athena glared at Percy before she continued reading.

**but Paul knows me pretty well. He's seen me slice up demons and leap out of exploding school buildings, so he probably figured taking a car a few hundred meters wasn't exactly the most dangerous thing I'd ever done.**

"Show off", Annabeth muttered as Thalia rolled her eyes.

**Anyway, Rachel and I were driving along. It was a hot August day. Rachel's red hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I'd never seen her in anything but ratty T-shirts and paint splattered jeans before and she looked like a million golden drachmas.**

At that description, Percy winced, Annabeth shot daggers at him with her eyes and punched him hard as Nico, Thalia, Apollo and Hermes snickered. Athena smiled in contentment and Poseidon glared at Annabeth, and Aphrodite giggled, probably planning their love lifes for the future.

"**Oh, pull up right there!" she told me.**

**We parked on a ridge overlooking the Atlantic. The sea is always one of my favourite places,**

"Naturally", said Hera, rolling her eyes.

**but today it was especially nice – glittery green and smooth as glass, as though my dad was keeping it calm just for us.**

"I probably was", Poseidon chuckled. Annabeth kept glaring at Percy, who wished this would be over and done with soon.

**My dad, by the way, is Poseidon. He can do stuff like that.**

There were chuckles everywhere at this statement.

"Duh duh duhhh", said Apollo dramatically.

"**So." Rachel smiled at me. "About that invitation"**

"**Oh… right." I tried to sound excited. I mean, she'd asked me to her family's vacation house on St Thomas for three days. I didn't get a lot of offers like that. My family's idea of a fancy vacation was a weekend in a rundown cabin on Long Island with some movie rentals and a couple of frozen pizzas,**

"Well, as long as the family is happy, it's a perfect vacation", said Hera.

**and here Rachel's folks were willing to let me tag along to the Caribbean.**

**Besides, I seriously needed a vacation. This summer had been the hardest of my life.**

"It had been the hardest of everyone's life, Percy", said Annabeth angrily. "We all need a break".

"Annabeth-", he started off but was silenced by Athena continuing.

**The idea of taking a break even for a few days was really tempting.**

**Still, something big was supposed to go down any day now. I was 'on call' for a mission. Even worse, next week was my birthday. There was this prophecy that said when I turned sixteen, bad things would happen.**

"**Percy," Rachel said, "I know the timing is bad. But it's **_**always**_** bad for you, right?**

**She had a point.**

"**I really want to go," I promised. "Its just-"**

"**The war"**

**I nodded. I didn't like talking about it, but Rachel knew. Unlike most mortals, she could see through the Mist- the magic veil that distorts human vision.**

"We know that", said Ares, rolling his eyes.

**She'd seen monsters. She'd met some of the other demigods who were fighting the titans and their allies.**

At this statement, the gods looked sad. Their own children were turning against them. Why?

**She'd even been there last summer when the chopped-up Lord Kronos rose out of his coffin in a terrible new form,**

"KRONOS HAS A NEW FORM!" Zeus thundered and Hermes winced.

Before Zeus could rant on, Athena continued.

**and she'd earned my permanent respect by nailing him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.**

At this statement, the room burst into laughter.

Hermes and Apollo went crazy laughing. Nico, Annabeth and Percy were laughing hard at the memory of the incident.

Hermes and Apollo got out of their thrones and started enacting the scene. Hermes lay in the air, and got up and said in a menacing tone  
>"I am Kronos, Evil Lord of Time. Who dare mess with me? I'm so badass, yeah!"<p>

"I am Rachel, A Mortal with spunk, guts and clear sight, and I'm gonna nail you in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush! Haiiiyaaaa!" said Apollo in a girl's voice and threw a blue hairbrush that hit Hermes in the face.

"Owwww", said Hermes and pretended to faint.

This had all the demigods and male gods in the room rolling on the floor laughing and the females maintaining their dignity but laughing hard in their own thrones, easing the tense atmosphere for some time.

When everyone had finally regained their composure, Athena continued.

**She put her hand on my arm. "Just think about it, okay? We don't leave for a couple of days. My dad…" Her voice faltered.**

"**Is he giving you a hard time?" I asked.**

**Rachel shook her head in disgust. "He's trying to be **_**nice **_**to me, which is almost worse. He wants me to go to Clarion Ladies' Academy in the autumn".**

"**The school where your mom went?"**

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "It's a finishing school, and she **should **go. Its wonderful!"

"Well…" said Hermes, "I cant see this Rachel girl going to a finishing school. I mean, she had the guts to-

"NAIL THE EVIL TITAN LORD WITH A BLUE PLASTIC HAIRBRUSH",Apollo completed and both of them burst into laughter and everyone chuckled at the incident.

"**It's a stupid finishing school for society girls, all the way in New Hampshire. Can you see me in finishing school?"**

"No", everyone at the table chorused.

Before Hermes and Apollo could crack up about the blue plastic hairbrush incident again, Athena continued.

**I admitted the idea sounded pretty dumb. Rachel was into urban art projects and feeding the homeless and going to protest rallies to 'Save the Endangered Yellow- Bellied Sap Sucker" and stuff like that.**

"She sounds like a nice person", Poseidon said.

Athena nodded.

Annabeth glared and Percy gulped.

**I'd never seen her wear a dress. It was hard to imagine her learning to be a socialite.**

**She sighed. "He thinks if he does a bunch of nice stuff for me, I'll feel guilty and given in".**

"**Which is why he agreed to let me come with you guys on vacation?"**

"**Yes…but, Percy, you'd be doing me a huge favour. It would be **_**so **_**much better if you were with us. Besides, there's something I want to talk-" She stopped abruptly.**

Annabeth was glaring and clutching her seat hard. Thalia tried to calm her down while Nico snickered.

"**Something you want to talk about?" I asked. "You mean… so serious we'd have to go to St. Thomas to talk about it?"**

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH", said Apollo.

"What?" asked Percy defensively.

"Fan girl number two!" Hermes snickered.

"Number two? Who's number one?" asked Percy.

Thalia silenced Apollo with a glare and Artemis muttered the word "boys" under her breath.

"Figure it out on your own", said Apollo chuckling.

**She pursed her lips. "Look, just forget it for now. Let's pretend we're a couple of normal people. We're out for a drive, and we're watching the ocean, and it's nice to be together".**

"You don't need to pretend about the nice to be together part, do you _Jackson?_" said Annabeth bitterly. Athena frowned. She didn't know her favourite daughter liked that sea spawn so much.

**I could tell something was bothering her, but she put on a brave smile. The sunlight made her hair look like fire. **

**We'd spent a lot of time together this summer. I hadn't exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room. I needed to remind myself the mortal world was still out here, away from all the monsters using me as their personal punching bag.**

Some of the gods felt sympathetic for Percy. Ares rolled his eyes. "Be a man, not a wimp, Jackson". Poseidon glared at him. Annabeth was seething with anger and Thalia was trying to control her. Nico traded places with me for fear that I'd break my bones.

"Athena, can we please skip this chapter? Or this part?" Percy begged.

Athena pursed her lips. She didn't want to see Annabeth in such pain, but she needed to know how her daughter felt about this son of Poseidon. Skipping the chapter was out of the question since they needed to know what happens in it.

"Much as I want to, we cannot" she stated, and continued reading.

"**Okay", I said. "Just a normal afternoon and two normal people".**

**She nodded. "And so… hypothetically, if these two people liked each other, what would it take to get the stupid guy to kiss the girl, huh?"**

Annabeth lost it. "PERCY JACKSON! YOU HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN GO AROUND KISSING MORTALS! DON'T YOU DARE DO IT! WE HAVE A FIGHT AND WE CANT BE DISTRACTED!"

She was going to scream more but Athena cut in.

"Relax Annabeth, he doesn't kiss her. Let me continue reading. Don't get mad, okay?"

Annabeth just nodded. Percy shot Athena a grateful glance.

"**Oh…" I felt like one of Apollo's sacred cows – slow, dumb, and bright red.**

"HEY!" Apollo exclaimed. "My cows are way cooler than you are!" he yelled indignantly.

"Relax, we all know that", said Ares rolling his eyes.

"**Um…"**

**I can't pretend I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than… well, than some other girls I knew.**

Annabeth was literally puffing smoke out of her ears.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SOME OTHER GIRLS?" she bellowed.

"Annabeth", someone cut in. Surprisingly, it was Aphrodite. "Percy is just sorting his feelings out. Probably at the end of this book, we'll know who he cares for and how much" she said calmly. A sort of understanding passed between them and Annabeth calmed down visibly. She didn't interrupt again. Percy and Athena were thankful to Aphrodite. Athena continued.

**I didn't have to work hard, or watch what I said, or wrack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She let you know how she felt.**

**I'm not sure what I would've done next, but I was so distracted I didn't notice a huge black form swooping down from the sky until foor hooves landed on the hood of the Prius with a WUMP-WUMP-CRUNCH.**

"That is bad ", Hestia commented. Athena nodded.  
>"This boy could use some cornflakes. They have a lot of Iron which is good for attention deficiency, which this boy apparently has" mused Demeter.<p>

Athena ignored her and continued.

_**Hey, boss**_**, a voice said in my head. **_**Nice car!**_

Ares, Hermes, and Apollo snickered.

"Ahh… a Pegasus", said Poseidon fondly. "They're awesome"

"Yo boss, that's right!" Apollo mimicked Blackjack.

**Blackjack the Pegasus was an old friend of mine, so I tried not to get too annoyed by the craters he'd just put in the hood, but I didn't think Paul Blofis would be real stoked.**

"Blowfish?" asked Poseidon in amusement.

"That's what I nicknamed him", Percy chuckled.

"**Blackjack", I sighed. "What are you-"**

**Then I saw who was riding on his back, and I knew my day was about to get a lot more complicated.**

"**Sup, Percy"**

**Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, would make the monsters cry for their mommies. **

Almost everyone at the table chuckled at this description while Hephaestus beamed in pride and Ares muttered something incomprehensible about that being his title.

**He was huge, with ripped muscles from working in the forges every summer.**

Aphrodite tried to picture that and said disdainfully, "Well, he would be a hot guy, but since he's your son, he can't be called hot, you know"

"He looks like his mother", Hephaestus grunted. Aphrodite nodded.

"That explains why my daughter likes him", she said.

**He was two years older than me and one of the camp's best armour – smiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd triggered a Greek fire bomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos' evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went **_**flush**_**.**

Everyone laughed hard at this description of the ingenious bomb, while Hephaestus was looking like he may pass out with pride.

"He sounds like a nice guy. Intelligent too", said Athena approvingly.

"And muscular and tough! I'd like to see him in a war!" said Ares.

"He is", replied Annabeth and Percy nodded.

**Beckendorf was dressed for combat. He wore a bronze breastplate and war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag slung over his shoulder.**

"**Time?" I asked.**

"For what?" asked Hera.

"I don't know. This hasn't happened yet", replied Percy.

"We'll find out if we read", said Dionysus impatiently.

Athena gave him a weird look before continuing.

**He nodded grimly. **

**A lump formed in my throat. Id known this was coming. We'd been planning it for weeks, but I'd half hoped it would never happen.**

"Wimp", Ares muttered, and felt a blast of salty water spray into his eyes, momentarily extinguishing their fire.

**Rachel looked up at Beckendorf. "Hi".**

"**Oh, hey. I'm Beckendorf. You must be Rachel. Percy's told me… uh, I mean he mentioned you."**

Annabeth could be seen controlling her anger. Poseidon bit back a chuckle. She was so jealous of Rachel.

**Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Really? Good". She glanced at Blackjack, who was clopping his hooves against the hood of the Prius. "So I guess you guys have to go save the world now"**

"**Pretty much", Beckendorf agreed.**

**I looked at Rachel helplessly. "Would you tell my mom-"**

"**I'll tell her. I'm sure she's used to it. And I'll explain to Paul about the hood."**

**I nodded my thanks. I figured this might be the last time Paul loaned me his car.**

"**Good luck" Rachel kissed me **

"SHE DID WHAT!" Annabeth screamed.

Hermes and Apollo were going mental laughing at the terrified expression on Percy's face. Everyone except Athena and Poseidon looked like they were trying hard to not chuckle.

"Oooh Percy is such a heartthrob!" Hermes chuckled.  
>"Yeah, tell me your secrets Percy!" Apollo laughed.<p>

Percy glared at them and Poseidon sprayed them in the face with salt water. Percy shot a grateful look to his dad.

Thalia put an arm around Annabeth and hugged her, glaring at Apollo all the while, who began to look uncomfortable. He mouthed an apology.

"Annabeth", said Aphrodite sweetly, planning to add more fuel to the fire. "Why are you so jealous that Rachel **kissed **Percy?"

Annabeth glared at Aphrodite. "I am NOT jealous! We just can't have him being distracted in thoughts of girls on such an important mission and Rachel should know as much!" she defended.

"Of course, I understand", said Aphrodite, biting back a giggle

Annabeth calmed down and Athena continued, mentally deciding to have her owls attack the next person to make Annabeth upset or mad.

**before I could even react. "Now get going, half- blood. Go kill some monsters for me"**

**My last view of her was sitting in the shotgun seat of the Prius, her arms crossed, watching as Blackjack circled higher and higher, carrying Beckendorf and me into the sky. I wondered what Rachel wanted to talk to me about, and whether I'd live long enough to find out.**

Poseidon winced.

"Will you stop talking like that?" he said.

"Yeah Percy, you're the ultimate optimist dude", said Nico, sarcasm dripping in every word.

"Sorry, but the point is I haven't even thought these thoughts yet, and the book isn't written by me", replied Percy.

Athena continued.

"**So", Beckendorf said. "I'm guessing you don't want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth."**

"**Oh, gods", I muttered. "Don't even think about it"**

**Beckendorf chuckled, and together we soared out over the Atlantic.**

**It was almost dark by the time we spotted our target. The **_**Princess Andromeda**_** glowed on the horizon – a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white. From a distance, you'd think it was just a party ship, not the headquarters for the Titan lord.**

"You're going to blow it up?" Athena asked, suddenly realizing.

"Yeah", Percy replied. "We'd been running dry runs at dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets.

"Oh gods", she muttered. "Its an ingenious plan, but it won't work! It'll take too long!"

"Well, lets find out", Zeus cut in.

**Then, as you got closer, you might notice a giant figurehead – a dark haired maiden in a Greek chiton, wrapped in chains with a look of horror on her face, as if she could smell the stench of the monsters she was being forced to carry.**

**Seeing the ship twisted my gut into knots. I'd almost died twice on the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**. Now it was headed straight for New York.**

"**You know what to do?" Beckendorf yelled over the wind.**

"Yeah baby! Finally some action! I almost fell asleep listening to this! Lets go make some monsters run for their mommies!" Ares enthused.

**I nodded. We'd done dry runs at dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets. I know how little time we would have.**

"Yes, barely any", Athena confirmed.

**But I also knew this was our best chance to end Kronos' invasion before it ever started.**

"You can't defeat him so easily, Percy. It won't work", said Hades sadly.

"**Blackjack", I said, "Set us down on the lowest stern deck".**

_**Gotcha, boss**_**, he said. **_**Man, I hate seeing that boat.**_

**Three years ago, Blackjack had been enslaved on the **_**Princess Andromeda **_**until he'd escaped with a little help from my friends and me. I figured he'd rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.**

Everyone chuckled. This boy had a knack for lightening serious situations.

"**Don't wait for us", I told him.**

_**But, boss- **_

"**Trust me", I said. "We'll get out by ourselves"**

"And how is that?" asked Persephone.

"The sea" Percy and Poseidon replied together.

"How?" she asked, curious.

"See, since Percy is my son, he can survive a deep fall into the water and stay dry, and breathe underwater. He has such waterpowers you know. So he can create a sort of – bubble, you could say, which would protect Beckendorf from the cold and pressure of the water, and keep him dry and let him breathe", Poseidon explained.

Persephone nodded understandingly and Athena continued.

**Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted towards the boat like a black comet. The wind whistled in my ears. I saw monsters patrolling the upper decks of the ship – **_**dracaenae **_**snake women, hellhounds, giants, ****and the humanoid seal-demons known as telkhines–but we zipped by so fast none of them raised the alarm.**

"So many monsters", Hades muttered, not looking happy.

We shot down to the stern of the boat, and Blackjack spread his wings, lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off, feeling queasy.

"You need your wits about Percy! Stop being queasy", said Thalia.

"Gee, I'm sorry that this book hasn't happened yet and I have no control over what my book self thinks and does!" Percy retorted sarcastically.

_**Good luck, boss,**_** Blackjack said. **_**Don't let 'em turn you into horsemeat!**_

Hestia chuckled. This Pegasus, just like his boss could lighten the mood in an instant.

**With that, my old friend flew off into the night. I pulled out my pen and uncapped it, and Riptide sprang to life–three feet of deadly Celestial bronze glowing in the dusk.**

"Dramatic much", said Hera, rolling her eyes.

In a swift movement, Percy pulled out his sword and had it at Hera's throat, who yelped in terror and shock.

Before Zeus could blast him to shreds, he bowed to Hera and said, "I meant no disrespect, O Queen of the Heavens. I merely wanted to show you that my sword can be lethal.

Hera glared at him. "I forgive you, just this once. But if you anger me once more –". She left the threat hanging in the air. Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes and Apollo snickered. The rest either looked murderous, amused, bored (Dionysus), disapproving or alarmed (Poseidon, Thalia and Annabeth).

**Beckendorf pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. I thought it was a map or something. Then I realized it was a photograph. He stared at it in the dim light- the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite.**

"Aww", Aphrodite, Hera, Hestia, and Persephone cooed. "So cute", Aphrodite squealed.

**They'd started going out last summer, after years of the rest of us saying "Duh, you guys like each other!" Even with all the dangerous missions, Beckendorf had been happier this summer than I'd ever seen him.**

"Would you and Annabeth start going out if all of us keep telling you that you both obviously like each other?" Nico asked, grinning. Hermes and Apollo hi-fived him as Aphrodite squealed.

"NO!" Athena and Poseidon yelled in unison. " I will NOT have my son/daughter dating that daughter of a stuck up know-it-all/ son of that idiotic oh-I'm-so-awesome sea god"

The rest of the gods laughed at their bantering while Annabeth and Percy worriedly glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes.

"Uh… thanks for being so nice, Mom, Poseidon", Annabeth muttered. Poseidon and Athena looked a wee bit sorry and glared at each other.

Hephaestus looked at his wife grudgingly and grunted. "Its funny how my son and your daughter love each other so much and we don't get along".

"Aww, you're not too bad", said Aphrodite smiling sweetly as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

All around there were shocked faces and chuckles at Hephaestus' expression, who was clearly enjoying holding Aphrodite and seeing her look sincere about what she said.

Hera smiled. This was how the two of them should be. They were married. They ought to be together like this.

**"We'll make it back to camp," I promised.**

Hermes looked uncomfortable. He wasn't so sure.

**For a second I saw worry in his eyes. Then he put on his old confident smile.**

**"You bet," he said. "Let's go blow Kronos back into a million of pieces."**

"It won't work", Hestia muttered, closing her eyes. She had a bad feeling about this.

**Beckendorf led the way. We followed a narrow corridor to the service stairwell, just like we'd practiced, but we froze when we heard noises above us.**

"This is not good", Artemis muttered. Hephaestus nodded. "You don't have enough time to fight monsters right now. It'll take time to fix the bomb"

Percy gulped. He didn't want to die. Annabeth looked scared too. She slipped her fingers through his and squeezed his hand reassuringly, and if Athena noticed, she didn't say anything.

Oh, just by the way, after the Rachel part was over and Annabeth had calmed down, Percy had traded places with Nico again to sit beside Annabeth.

**"I don't care what your noses says!" snarled a half-human, half-dog voice- a telkhine. "The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meat loaf sandwich!"**

"Mmm, meat loaf sandwiches are good", said Apollo appreciatively.

**"Meat loaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled.**

Everyone chuckled at this coincidence. "You're just like those telkhines", Thalia snickered.

"Oh please! Do not compare me to those monsters! I'm too cool for them!" Apollo snorted.

Artemis rolled her eyes at her twin brother's immaturity.

**"But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!"**

**"Bah, your **_**brain**_** isn't on board!"**

"Good one", Thalia chuckled.

**They continued to argue, and Beckendorf pointed downstairs. We descended as quietly as we could. Two floors down, the voices of the telkhines started to fade.**

**Finally, we came to a metal hatch. Beckendorf mouthed the words "engine room."**

**It was locked, but Beckendorf pulled some chain cutters out of his bag and split the bolt like it was made of butter.**

**Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall. A telkhine was hunched over a console, but he was so involved with his work, he didn't notice us.**

**He was about five feet tall, with slick black seal fur and stubby little feet. He had the head of a Doberman, but his clawed hands were almost human. He growled and muttered as he tapped on his keyboard. Maybe he was messaging his friends on uglyface ****.com**

Everyone laughed. "Oh my, I am SO creating such a website for monsters to message on!" Hermes chuckled.

"Actually, if the thing is a hit, we may be able to learn Kronos' tactics", said Annabeth, contemplating the idea.

"Actually, that's pretty ingenious", Athena praised and Annabeth beamed.

**I stepped forward, and he tensed, probably smelling something wrong. He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button, but I blocked his path. He hissed and lunged at me, but one slice of Riptide, and he exploded into dust.**

"Neat move, punk", Ares complimented.

**"One down," Beckendorf said. "About five thousand to go." He tossed me a jar of thick green liquid- Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world. The he threw me another essential tool of the demigod heroes- duct tape.**

**"Slap that one on the console," he said. "I'll get the turbines."**

**We went to work. The room was hot and humid, and in no time we were drenched in sweat.**

"Ugh", Aphrodite shuddered.

**The boat kept chugging along. Being the son of Poseidon and all, I have perfect bearings at sea. Don't ask me how, but I could tell we were at 40.19 North, 71.90 West, making eighteen knots, which meant the ship would arrive in New York Harbor by dawn. This would be our only chance to stop it.**

"I hope it works", Thalia muttered under her breath.

**I had just attached a second jar of Greek fire to the control panels when I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps- so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign.**

**I locked eyes with Beckendorf. "How much longer?"**

**"Too long." He tapped his watch, which was our remote control detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least."**

"This is not good at all", Hephaestus moaned. Aphrodite squeezed his hand.

**Judging from the sound of the footsteps, we had about ten seconds.**

"I knew there wouldn't be enough time", Athena muttered.

"Get out of there, Percy", said Poseidon, his face paling.

**"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point."**

"Good plan", Athena approved grimly.

**"Percy-"**

**"Wish me luck."**

**He looked like he wanted to argue. The whole idea had been to get in and out without being spotted. But we were going to have to improvise.**

"Its all you can do", said Artemis sadly.

Hermes didn't want to read this chapter. He didn't want any of this to happen. He knew someone was going to die – and it wouldn't be Kronos.

**"Good luck," he said.**

**I charged out the door.**

**A half dozen telkhines were tromping down the stairs. I cut through them with Riptide faster than they could yelp. I kept climbing – past another telkhine, who was so started he dropped his Lil' Demons lunch box. I left him alive- partly because his lunch box was cool, partly so he could raise the alarm and hopefully get his friends to follow me rather than head towards the engine room.**

Zeus rolled his eyes.

"Boys", Artemis muttered. "So immature in serious situations".

Annabeth, Athena, Thalia and Hera nodded seriously while Nico, Apollo and Percy looked indignant. Hermes was too worried to care.

**I burst through a door onto deck six and kept running. I'm sure the carpeted hall had once been very plush, but over the last three years of monster occupation the wallpaper, carpet, and stateroom had been clawed up and slimed so it looked like the inside of a dragon's throat (and yes, unfortunately, I speak from experience.)**

"WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?" Poseidon shouted hysterically, creating earthquakes and tsunamis.

"Long story", Percy replied.

**Back on my first visit to the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**, my old enemy Luke had kept some dazed tourist on board for show, shrouded in Mist so they didn't realize they were on a monster-infested ship. Now I didn't see any sign of tourists. I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings.**

Everyone around the table looked sad at imagining their predicament.

**I reached the promenade, a big shopping mall that took up the whole middle of the ship, and I stopped cold. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain. And in the fountain squatted a giant crab.**

"No!" Poseidon moaned, burying his face in his hands. Hestia put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Relax dad, its just a crab. I can fight it! I'm your son", Percy tried reassuring his father.

"I'm not so sure, Percy", replied Athena, looking slightly worried.

**I'm not talking "giant" like $7.99 all-you-can-eat Alaskan king crab. I'm talking **_**giant**_** like bigger than the fountain. The monster rose ten feet out of the water. Its shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than my body.**

Percy gulped.

**If you've ever seen a crab's mouth, all foamy and gross with whiskers and snapping bits, you can imagine this one didn't look any better blown up to billboard size.**

Persephone, Demeter, Hera and Aphrodite shuddered in disgust.

"Please, can we just get through this part and know if my son lives?" Poseidon groaned. "I'm going to have a heart attack soon".

**Its beady black eyes glared at me, and I could see intelligence in them- and hate. The fact that I was the son of the sea god was not going to win me any points with Mr. Crabby.**

"Okay…" Percy said nervously. "Got your point, dad".

**"**_**FFFFfffffff**_**," it hissed, sea foam dripping from its mouth. The smell coming off it was like garbage can full of fish sticks that had been sitting in the sun all week.**

Aphrodite wrinkled her nose at the description.

**Alarms blared. Soon I was going to have lots of company and I had to keep moving.**

Annabeth clutched Percy's arm, her nails digging into his skin. "If you don't make it out alive", she whispered menacingly, "I'm going to kill you, Seaweed Brain".

Percy wanted to point out that he'd already be dead so it would be useless for Annabeth to do anything, but he decided to keep his trap shut.

**"Hey, crabby." I inched around the edge of the courtyard. "I'm just gonna scoot around you so-"**

Zeus rolled his eyes. "Like he'll listen".

**The crab moved with amazing speed. It scuttled out of the fountain and came straight at me, pincers snapping. I dove into a gift shop, plowing through a rack if T-shirts. A crab pincer smashed the glass walls to pieces and raked across the room. I dashed back outside, breathing heavily, but Mr. Crabby turned and followed.**

"He's tender on his stomach", the sea god's muffled voice said.

"You'll have to work fast to get underneath him", Artemis warned.

**"There!" a voice said from a balcony about me. "Intruder!"**

"Oh, just fantastic", Hades groaned.

**If I'd wanted to create a distraction, I'd succeeded, but this was not where I wanted to fight. If I got pinned down in the center of the ship, I was crab chow.**

"You know Percy? That sounds sorta cool. 'Crab chow'", Apollo mused.

"Apollo?" asked Thalia, glaring at him.

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favour?"

"Name it"

"Shut the hell up"

**The demonic crustacean lunged at me. I sliced with Riptide, taking off the tip of its claw. It hissed and foamed, but didn't seem very hurt.**

**I tried to remember anything from the old stories that might help with this thing. Annabeth had told me about a monster crab- something about Hercules crushing it under his big foot? That wasn't going to work here. This crab was slightly bigger than my Reeboks.**

A few people chuckled nervously, afraid that Poseidon may lose his cool any moment.

**Then a weird thought occurred to me. Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul Blofis to our old cabin at Montauk, where we'd been going forever. Paul had taken me crabbing, and when he'd brought up a net full of the things, he'd shown me how crabs have a chink in their armor, right in the middle of their ugly bellies.**

"At least that Blowfish guy was good for something", Poseidon muttered grudgingly.

Aphrodite smiled in spite of herself. She knew he was jealous of this Blofis guy because he truly loved the woman who was Percy's mother. It was cute to see.

**The only problem was getting to the ugly belly.**

**I glanced at the fountain, then at the marble floor, already slick from scuttling crab tracks. I held out my hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows of the shops. The crab didn't care. It loved water. It came at me sideways, snapping and hissing, and I ran straight at it, screaming, "AHHHHHHH!"**

"No duh, Percy", Nico said, rolling his eyes. "How else does a person scream?"

"Well, there are different ways", Ares replied.

Hades nodded. "It depends. If you keep torturing someone, then the scream is –"

He was interrupted by Demeter. "Brother, I think no one wants to know how people scream. So kindly keep quiet".

Hades sulked but cheered up immediately on receiving a kiss on his cheek from his wife, who was being glared at by her mother.

Thalia watched in amusement. Today was definitely a day for wives who didn't give a damn about their husbands to shower them with attention.

As if he read her mind, Nico whispered to her, "Nah, Persephone just likes irritating Demeter. And as for Aphrodite, its probably because her daughter likes Hephaestus' son"

Thalia nodded. It made sense.

**Just before we collided, I hit the ground baseball-style and slid on the wet marble floor straight under the creature. It was like sliding under a seven-ton armored vehicle. All the crab had to do was sit and squash me, but before it realized what I was going on, I jabbed Riptide into the chink in its armor, let go of the hilt, and pushed myself out the backside.**

"Neat move, punk", Ares complimented.

Everyone nodded their agreement and Percy beamed.

**The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap.**

**I didn't have time to admire my handiwork.**

"Admire it now", said Poseidon.

**I ran for the nearest stairs while all around me monsters and demigods shouted orders and strapped on their weapons. I was empty-handed. Riptide, being magic, would appear in my pocket sooner or later, but for now it was stuck somewhere under the wreckage of the crab, and I had no time to retrieve it.**

"Fabulous", said Artemis sarcastically. "Now there are Zeus knows how many monsters who want to kill you and you're swordless"

"I don't know", Zeus grumbled.

"Sis, please, try being optimistic", said Apollo.

"Don't call me sis!" Artemis screeched.

**In the elevator foyer on deck eight, a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path. From the waist up, they were woman with green scaly skin, yellow eyes, and forked tongues. From the waist down, they had double snake trunks instead of legs. They held spears and weighted nets, and I knew from experience they could use them.**

"We know that!" said Dionysus exasperatedly. "Why does this Peter Johnson keep repeating what we already know?"

"For the umpteenth time, I'm telling EVERYONE. Everyone, listen up with full attention. I have no control over my book self! STOP telling me to stop a certain kind of comment because I cant help it!" said Percy in annoyance.

"Got it", everyone chorused.

**"What isss thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronosss!"**

**I wasn't in the mood to play break-the-snake, but in front of me was a stand with a model of the ship, like a YOU ARE HERE display.**

"Break the snake", Hera snorted.

**I ripped the model off the pedestal and hurled it at the first**_** dracaena. **_**The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship.**

"Bada boom boom", said Ares dramatically.

**I jumped over her, grabbed her friend's spear, and swung her around. She slammed into the elevator, and I kept running toward the front of the ship.**

**"Get him!" she screamed. Hellhounds bayed. An arrow from somewhere whizzed past my face and impaled itself in the mahogany-paneled wall of the stairwell.**

**I didn't care- as long as I got the monsters away from the engine room and gave Beckendorf more time.**

Hephaestus smiled at such kind thoughts for his son.

**As I was running up the stairwell, a kid charged down. He looked like he'd just woken up from a nap. His armor was half on. He drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry. He couldn't have been more than twelve- about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.**

**That thought depressed me. This kid was getting brainwashed – trained to hate the gods and lash out because he'd been born half Olympian. Kronos was using him, and yet the kid thought I was his enemy.**

"I can understand your dilemma", said Hestia sympathetically.

Thalia nodded. It was hard to attack a demigod who believed his parents didn't have time for him when you knew the feeling yourself.

**No way was I going to hurt him. I didn't need a weapon for this. I stepped inside his strike and grabbed his wrist, slamming it against the wall. His sword clattered out of his hand.**

**Then I did something I hadn't planned on. It was probably stupid. It definitely jeopardized our mission, but I couldn't help it.**

"Don't", said Athena almost pleading. "Don't do whatever you're going to".

"I doubt his book self will listen to your advice, mom"

Athena sighed.

**"If you want to live, "I told him, "get off this ship now. Tell the other demigods." Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next door.**

"He won't listen", said Nico sadly.

**I kept climbing.**

**Bad memories: a hallway ran past the cafeteria. Annabeth, my half brother Tyson, and I had sneaked through here three years ago on my first visit.**

**I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted.**

**All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad- our emergency rendezvous point. With any luck, Beckendorf would meet me there. We'd jump into the sea. My water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away.**

"Its too easy", said Hades thoughtfully. "Kronos would have something planned. He isn't one to let you get away like this"

At the name of Kronos, Hermes flinched, remembering the terrible prophecy that had befallen his son.

"I wish there were some positive people here", Apollo tutted.

**I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. "You're late, Percy."**

"Kronos", Poseidon breathed, his hands gripping the sides of his throne tightly.

**Luke stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, like he was just a normal college guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold.**

Hermes, Annabeth and Thalia flinched. Percy and Nico looked sad.

Apollo put his hand on Hermes' shoulder comfortingly. But nothing could console him. There was no turning back for Luke now. There was no way his May would be fine again.

Athena continued, wanting to get over with this soon.

**"We've been expecting you for days." At first he sounded normal, like Luke. But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, and powerful- the voice of the Titan lord Kronos. The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. "Come, bow before me."**

"Wait! The book says he sounded like Luke at first", said Hermes suddenly, sitting up straight. "This means…"

"That Luke is trying to fight Kronos!" said Apollo, trying to comfort his favourite brother.

Percy tried to ignore the jealousy he felt when he saw Annabeth look up hopefully.

Thalia, Annabeth and Hermes were thinking the same thought. _Come back Luke. Fight Kronos. Please!_

**"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered.**

Poseidon smirked in spite of himself. His son was just as rebellious as him.

**Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. A trap: there's no way they could've gotten into position so face unless they'd known I was coming.**

"Percy Jackson", Annabeth hissed, "You better make it out alive".

"Yes ma'am", replied Percy.

"Well, we'll find out if we read", Thalia pointed out and Athena continued.

**I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body. Maybe, the way his voice had changed . . . Or maybe it was just Kronos adapting to his new form. I told myself it didn't matter. Luke had been twisted and evil long before Kronos possessed him.**

"No he hadn't!" yelled Annabeth and Hermes in unison. "Luke had always been a nice guy, Percy! He took care of me when I was small. He and Thalia were my only family! Luke wasn't evil, he's just been manipulated!" she shouted, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Athena winced. It hurt to hear this. Hermes looked like he may break down as well.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth, I know that. I-" said Percy, at a total loss for words. Thalia hugged Annabeth and from the expressions on their faces, everyone could tell they were remembering the time they'd spent with the nice Luke, the Luke they knew.

**A voice in my head said: **_**I have to fight him eventually. Why not now?**_

"Because he's the Titan of Time and you are the half mortal Son of the Sea! You don't have the power!" exclaimed Hera.

Percy winced. Looks like no one was going to remember that he had no control over his book self's thoughts.

**According to that big prophecy, I was supposed to make a choice that saved or destroyed the world when I was sixteen. That was only seven days away. Why not now? If I really had the power, what difference would a week make?**

"It doesn't matter if you drive one week before you turn sixteen, but when it's a great prophecy that could mean the end of the world, every second matters!" Apollo said hysterically.

**I could end this threat right here by taking down Kronos. Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before.**

"But this is a Titan. Even the gods had difficulties in taking him down. You can't fight him!" said Zeus through gritted teeth.

Poseidon looked like he was going to have a heart attack any second. Annabeth too, wasn't doing much better.

Hermes looked broken that this had happened with his son. The atmosphere in the room was very tense.

**As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was **_**Kronos. **_**I had to remember that.**

**"Come forward," he said. "If you dare."**

"Don't", Artemis warned.

**The crowd of monsters parted. I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword.**

**Kronos's weapon appeared in his hands- a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at it made my knees turn to Jell-O. But before I could change my mind, I charged.**

"IDIOT!" "MORON!" "IMBECILE!" "PERCY – NO!" "ASSHOLE!" "SEAWEED BRAIN!"

There were many such shouts and insults, some of them too bad to be heard from a god's mouth. Percy shut his ears, trying to block the noise.

Athena anxiously continued.

No one interrupted this time.

**Time slowed down. I mean ****literally slowed down, because Kronos had that power. I felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy; I could barely raise my sword. Kronos smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death.**

**I tried to fight his magic. I concentrated on the sea around me- the source of my power. I'd gotten better at channeling it over the year, but now nothing seemed to happen. I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered, **_**Dracaenae **_**hissed with laughter.**

_**Hey, ocean**_**, I pleaded**_**. Any day would be good.**_

"The power is within you, son", said Poseidon through clenched teeth.

**Suddenly there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing me and Kronos and everyone on the deck. The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell, and I lunged forward.**

Percy felt sort of smug. He knew it took the gods years to break the time spell, and here he, a half blood, had done it so soon.

The tense atmosphere in the room visibly lightened. Poseidon let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

**I struck at Kronos, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face- **_**Luke's face-**_** a guy who was once my friend. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him.**

Annabeth and Thalia looked sad. They knew how Percy felt. In fact, it would be harder for them, especially Annabeth, for Luke had always been her hero.  
><em>'And he always will be', <em>she decided.  
>She remembered a few lines from a song she'd heard in one of the Apollo cabin people's iPods.<p>

"_On the first page, of our story, the future seems, so bright  
>Then this thing turned out, so evil, I don't know why I'm still surprised<br>Even angels have, their wicked schemes, and you take death, to new extremes  
><em>_**But you'll always be, my hero, even though you lost, your mind"**_

Aphrodite could read her thoughts and felt sad for the girl. She was so confused. But eventually she would figure out that Luke was just a brother to her, and it was Percy who was written in her destiny.

**Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet.**

Percy looked horrified and Poseidon and Annabeth looked, well, terrified.

Thalia, Nico and Hestia tried consoling them but the tension in the atmosphere was high. They were all so scared for Percy.

**I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.**

"That hurts", said Nico wincing.

"You've kicked a refrigerator?" asked Hades astonished.

"Yeah… I was hungry and I was trying to break it open to get some food since it was locked", Nico replied sheepishly.

**Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. It shouldn't have been a serious cut, but the entire side of my body exploded with pain.**

'_A hero's soul, cursed blade will reap', _Annabeth realized in terror. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Its severing your soul", Hades whispered, horrified.

Poseidon had a mad look in his eyes. Everyone decided not to make any more comments, for they feared for the god's sanity

**I remembered what a sea demon had once said about Kronos's scythe: **_**Careful, fool. One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body. **_**Now I understood what he meant. I wasn't just losing blood. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.**

Percy closed his eyes in horror. He never, ever, ever, wanted this to happen. Unconsciously, he had been gripping Annabeth's hand tight for comfort.

Thalia and Nico closed their eyes in silent prayer, wishing Percy would make it through alive.

**I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade should've run him through, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. There was no way he should've survived that.**

Hera shook her head. Much as she hated demigods, this one was unusually brave.

**Kronos laughed. "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."**

**My vision started to blur. I knew I didn't have much time. "Luke had a big head," I said. "But at least it was his head."**

**"A shame to kill you now, " Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus."**

**"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision.**

**"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face- Luke's face- seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"**

"No!" Hephaestus moaned, putting his face in his hands. Aphrodite tried to comfort him by putting her arms around him. Ares was insecure and she knew it, but right now she didn't care. She prayed desperately that Charles would live. Her daughter would be broken if he died.

**He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!" A teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. I'd saved his life in the Labyrinth last summer, and in return, the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life.**

"You should've killed him in the labyrinth", Nico hissed.

**"Success, my lord," Ethan called. "We found him just as we were told."**

**He clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.**

Percy sucked in a huge breath, and all the demigods looked horrified. They wouldn't want to see him so helpless.

**"No!" I yelled.**

**Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it yet, and that was the detonator. Was it possible the explosives were armed? Surely the monsters would've dismantled them right away.**

"No. No. Oh no", said Athena, having guessed what was going to happen. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were filled with tears. "This shouldn't be happening…" she whispered.

Seeing that Athena wasn't in a state to continue, Zeus took the book and resumed reading.

**"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"**

Annabeth was the next person to guess. "Oh no! They think he hasn't planted the explosives yet".

Tears were streaming down her face in silent mourning for her friend and she hugged Percy tightly for comfort.

**"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"**

**"He was going **_**toward the engine room, **_**my lord**_**.**_**"**

**"How do you know that?"**

"Kronos is smart", said Demeter, closing her eyes sadly.

**"Er . . . " Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."**

**Slowly, I began to understand.**

By now, everyone had understood the plan. Hephaestus was broken. Aphrodite pulled him close and he cried in her shoulder. His wife had tears in her eyes as well. In fact, every female in the room did. And everyone, even Dionysus, was mourning the loss of this demigod. Most of them knew him just from Percy's description of him, and yet they could grieve for him like they were losing a family member. No one had probably ever seen such a compassionate side of the gods.

**Beckendorf had fooled them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire might still be primed! But that didn't do us any good unless we could get off the ship and detonate it.**  
><strong><br>Kronos hesitated.**

"Use his hesitation to make your escape", Athena commanded.

"For your information, Charles is flanked by two giants and Percy has been hurt by Kronos' scythe. They aren't in the best of shape", Poseidon reminded her quietly.

**Buy the story, I prayed. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand.**

Poseidon winced at this description. He never wanted to see Percy in such pain.

**"Open his bag," Kronos ordered. **

"No!" Nico shouted.

**One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf''s shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.**

**I could hear Kronos breathing, trying to control his anger.**

**"Did you, perhaps," he said, "capture this demigod near the galley?"**

**Ethan turned pale. "Um-"**

**"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"**

**Ethan scrambled back in terror, then turned on his heels and ran.**

**I cursed silently. Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again and asked a silent question, hoping he would understand: **_**How long?**_

**He cupped his fingers and thumb, making a circle. **_**Zero.**_

The atmosphere was high tension again. Zeus paused, took a breath and then continued.

**There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill us first, or disarm the explosives, or both.**

**Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks."**

**He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm-the Titan lord's symbol.**

"A spy!" Annabeth exclaimed. All the gods who had demigod children looked sad. One of their kids was betraying them. Why?

**The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device . . . Spy at camp."**

"Who could it be?" asked Percy, frowning.

"I don't know", Annabeth replied. "I can't imagine anyone working for Kronos"

**Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way.**

Annabeth and Thalia glared at the book indignantly.

**Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies."**

**I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would.**

**Beckendorf mouthed one word: **_**Go.**_

Zeus paused here, knowing he couldn't just continue with how Beckendorf died. He let everyone mourn for him silently for two minutes and then continued.

**I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him.**

"Beckendorf…" Percy whispered, tears pricking his own eyes.

**The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly- toward the watch on his right wrist.**

"He's a true hero, nephew", said Hades to Hephaestus. "I'll make sure he gets the treatment he deserves in the underworld".

Hephaestus tried to smile at him gratefully but he couldn't. How could this happen!

**I wanted to scream, **_**NO!**_

**Then down by the swimming pool, one of the dracaenae hissed, "What isss he doing? What isss that on hisss wrissst?"**

**Beckendorf closed eyes tight and brought his hand up to his watch.**

"I'm sorry", Percy mumbled, feeling like a miserable failure. Beckendorf was dying and he was going to be alive. It wasn't fair.

"You did the right thing, child", said Hephaestus. "My son was a hero. Win this war for him. Make his sacrifice worth it."

Percy nodded. "I will. In fact, I wont let this happen. We'll come up with a better strategy. I wont let Beckendorf die"

That seemed to make Hephaestus and everyone else feel better. Beckendorf could still be saved.

_'Unlike Luke…' _Hermes thought.

**I had no choice. I threw my sword like a javelin at Kronos. It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it did startle him. I pushed through a crowd of monsters and jumped off the side of the ship- toward the water a hundred feet below.**

**I heard rumbling deep in the ship. Monsters yelled at me from above. A spear sailed past my ear. An arrow pierced my thigh, but I barely had time to register the pain. I plunged into the sea and willed the currents to take me far, far away-a hundred yards, two hundred yards.**

"That's far enough, though it'll hurt", Athena supplied.

"It doesn't matter", Percy replied. "We know what this mission would turn out to be like. We wont let it happen. Beckendorf will not die", he said firmly.

**Even from that distance, the explosion shook the world. Heat seared the back of my head. The **_**Princess Andromeda **_**blew up from both sides, a massive fireball of green flame roiling into the dark sky, consuming everything.**

Everyone felt horrified at the thought of Beckendorf dying that way.

**Beckendorf, I thought.**

**Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.**

"The chapter ends here", said Zeus quietly.

The room was silent.

"What's our battle strategy?" asked Ares suddenly.

"What?" asked Thalia.

"Our battle strategy", Ares repeated. "We obviously aren't going to let Beckendorf die this way"

Hephaestus shot Ares a grateful look. Who would've thought **Ares **could be compassionate?

"I suggest coming up with a plan some time later. We all have our duties to attend to. The gods need to work and we at camp have our own duties to fulfill. Lets meet here in some time", Annabeth proposed.

"It sound sensible", said Hera.

All the gods agreed and decided to meet two hours later.

Everyone went to their respective jobs, a lot on their mind.

Percy and Hephaestus were thinking about Beckendorf, while Hermes, Annabeth and Thalia were preoccupied with the thoughts of Luke.

Ares and Athena were thinking of war strategies and everyone else was busy worrying about Kronos.

They all couldn't wait for the next five hours to pass.

* * *

><p>The Titan smiled. Everything was going according to plan. The curiosity of the gods had been aroused and hopefully, the future would take a turn for the better.<p>

Until then, he would endure his eternal punishment.

* * *

><p><strong>How was it?<strong>

**This took SO much of hard work! I never thought writing fanfiction would take so much of effort!**

**But I hope it was worth it.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**REVIEWS = FAST updates**

**Also, I need someone to beta read this story. Is anyone willing to watch out for my spelling and grammar, and help me enhance the story and get rid of writers blocks?**

**Thank you so much if you are!**

**IMPORTANT: PLEASE SEE MY LATEST POLL! I need replies so that I can continue the story!**

**Thank you for your time!**

**-ITOR**


	3. I meet some fishy relatives

**A/N: HI People!**

**Here's the next chapter for you all!**

**In the poll results, I saw the highest votes are for the gods and demigods reading the book and then fighting the war with minimum damage.**

**I know its stupid to find out what the readers want and then not do it, but I promise you guys would enjoy this more!**

**And if you don't, then well… a story can always be changed! =)**

**Now, some people I'd like to thank…**

**1)**** Thanks to all the people who read this story even if they didn't review. Hope you liked it!  
>2) Thank you <strong>**PJATOSROCKS09,** **kittykatkitkat**** and Thrill-Pair-All-The-Way for adding this story to your Story Alert lists! (PS: kittykatkitkat, your name makes me feel like eating chocolate!)  
>3) Thanks so much PJATOSROCKS09, <strong>**mellyb223, chloexo and Sock puppets r real for adding this story to your favourite stories list!**  
><strong>4) A HUGE thank you to chloexo for adding me to your favourite authors list! You REALLY made my day! I woke up in the morning and logged on to my email and this is the first thing I saw and my smile was miles long! =D<br>5) Thanks SO much to the reviewers that made me soo happy!**

**kittykatkitkat: Yes ma'am!**

**1234: Sure I will! Keep reading!**

**chloexo: Thanks! And thanks for voting, though as I already mentioned, sorry about the facts that I'm just going with my own story instead of what you guys want, though I promise I won't let you down!****PS: This chapter's for you =D I have never been favourited as an author and that overwhelmed me quite a bit =)**

**SSS: Ohmygosh! Seriously! Thank you! You made me smile like a moron :D :D Sure I wont let you down! Don't die though if I don't update soon =(**

**darklilyofthevalley: (evil smirk) Does it really have to be Kronos? ;) That's a big hint, I wonder if you'll unravel the mystery of who this Titan is. Keep reading! Oh and, happy birthday in advance! Its in three days, right? Ooh you're an MJ fan! My friend is too… he's absolutely crazy. His iPod is full of solely Michael Jackson music and I had to forcefully delete his songs to make him listen to other kinds of music! You like Speechless? Its on of my personal favourites**! **Anyway thanks for the review!**

**perseus peverell: Thank you!**

**Well, that's all I have to say.**

**Now… on with the story!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The gods and four demigods spent an impatient five hours attending their duties. Finally, they met at Olympus again.<p>

Zeus began the gathering again.

"Now, as we read in the first chapter, a plan formed by these brave demigods to destroy Kronos' monster infested ship will go badly".

Everyone at the table winced.

"However, we cannot be sure that this is really what the future has in store"

Apollo interrupted indignantly, "Father! It has to be! Are you doubting my capabilities?"

Thalia wanted to hug him for he looked so hurt, but she banished the thought from her mind.

"Apollo", said Hermes, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No one doubts you here. Not one bit. But what if this is Kronos' trick? You know how he manipulates people. What if he doesn't want us to blow up the _Princess Andromeda _because it causes severe damage to him and is what leads us to win the war?"

"But how will Kronos know?" asked Nico bewildered. "He isn't the titan of the future or something".

Athena grimaced. She had been working out a possibility, and it seemed far-fetched… but probable. "I have an idea of how, but I don't want to mention it just now before we have facts to prove it", she said.

"So then what do you propose we should do? Just let Beckendorf die?" asked Apollo, still upset by his family's lack of confidence in him.

"NO!" Hephaestus declared angrily. "We will not do any such thing"

Aphrodite calmed him down. "Of course not! All we have to do is see if Rachel kisses Percy!" she said, squealing slightly.

"NO!" Annabeth and Percy shouted at the same time, Annabeth in jealousy and Percy in fear of her.

Everyone chuckled at that outburst. "That would actually do", said Athena. "If Kronos doesn't want us attacking the _Princess Andromeda, _then he would write the absolute truth about what happens before Percy goes for his mission". "But…" she trailed off.

"But what?" Poseidon asked.

"But if Kronos does want us to think that this is what he has planned and lose Beckendorf, then he wouldn't lie about the situation either…"

"That's not probable. Why would he bother to use up his power to send us a book telling us how we'll win or lose when its actually going to happen? If he really has sent it, then it cant be your second theory"

Athena studied Poseidon seriously for two minutes. "I never thought the father of sea spawn would actually say something wise", she muttered grudgingly.

Poseidon smirked and Percy grinned. "Don't underestimate me or my son", he said coolly.

Athena rolled her eyes.

"Well then", said Apollo, who had decided to prove to his father to never distrust his powers, "Its decided. We wait for the time this story mentions and see if Rachel kisses Annabeth-

"NOT ME", Annabeth screamed furiously and Athena growled menacingly. Aphrodite squealed at the possibility and Percy glared at her.

"Sorry! Tongue slip", Apollo grinned. "I mean all we have to do is see if Rachel kisses Percy-

"NO!" Annabeth burst out. All the gods laughed in spite of themselves.

"Then what, Annabeth? It's the only way to save Beckendorf", said Hephaestus grinning.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Fine", she muttered through clenched teeth. "But then what? That mortal will **kiss **Percy and then? Beckendorf and Percy go on the mission?"

"I don't want to be kissed", Percy moaned and everyone but Annabeth burst out laughing at his expression.

"Shut up, Seaweed brain!" Annabeth exclaimed in exasperation and anger.

"No, they don't go for the mission, but instead go back to Camp Half Blood, and well, we plan the rest of our strategy once we're done reading this book", said Athena.

"Sounds reasonable", Annabeth relented.

"Then that is the plan", said Zeus. "In two weeks from now, one week before Percy's birthday, we see if Rachel kisses Percy", he grinned, "and then carry out the rest of the plans we make. Meanwhile, we need to finish the chapters in this book as soon as possible".

Everyone nodded their agreement. Zeus brought out the book and announced that he would be reading.

"**I meet some Fishy Relatives**", he started off.

**Demigod dreams suck.**

All the demigods nodded vigorously.

"They're prophetic", Apollo shrugged.

**The thing is, they're never just dreams. They've got to be visions, omens, and all that other mystical stuff that makes my brain hurt.**

Almost everyone rolled their eyes.

"Obviously you need to eat more cereal", Demeter chided and Persephone groaned in embarrassment.

**I dreamed I was in a dark palace at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately, I recognized it: the palace of the Titans on top of Mount Othrys, otherwise known as Mount Tamalpais, in California. The main pavilion was open to the night, ringed with black Greek columns and statues of the Titans.**

A few people shuddered.

**Torchlight glowed against the black marble floor. In the center of the room, an armored giant struggled under the weight of a swirling funnel cloud – Atlas, holding up the sky.**

**Two other giant men stood nearby over a bronze brazier, studying images in the flames.**

**"Quite an explosion," one said. He wore black armor studded with silver dots like a starry night. His face was covered in a war helm with a ram's horn curling on either side.**

"Who's he?" asked Nico.

"Krios, the titan of the Constellations", Artemis replied.

**"It doesn't matter," the other said. This Titan was dressed in gold robes, with golden eyes like Kronos. His entire body glowed. He reminded me of Apollo, God of the Sun,**

"What the Hades? I'm not evil!"  
><strong><br>except the Titan's light was harsher, and his expression crueler.**

"Fine, I forgive you"

**"The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed."**

"Challenge?" asked Hera.

Everyone shrugged, indicating they had no idea.

**The images in the fire were hard to make out: storms, buildings crumbling, mortals screaming in terror.**

"That reminds me of the underworld", Demeter grimaced.

"Hey! The underworld's cool, _step grandmother_" Nico defended. Everyone chuckled at Demeter's horrified expression at being called Nico's step grandmother.

**"I will go east to marshal our forces," the golden Titan said. "Krios, you shall remain and guard Mount Othrys."**

**The ram horn dude grunted. "I always get the stupid jobs. Lord of the South. Lord of Constellations. Now I get to babysit Atlas while **_**you**_** have all the fun."**

Everyone rolled their eyes at his complaining. "What a whiner", Ares muttered.

"He reminds me of Mr.D", Percy whispered to Annabeth.

"I heard that, Pedro", Dionysus glared.

Everyone else chuckled.

"**Under the whirlwind of clouds, Atlas bellowed in agony, "Let me out, curse you! I am your greatest warrior. Take my burden so I may fight!"**

"I'd like to fight Atlas sometime, just for the fun of it", Ares mused. "He has some big muscles", Aphrodite said admiringly.

"Duh, he's been weightlifting with the sky", Ares said. Everyone laughed.

**"Quiet!" the golden Titan roared. "You had your chance, Atlas. You failed. Kronos likes you just where you are. As for you, Krios, do your duty."**

**"And if you need more warriors?" Krios asked. "Our treacherous nephew in the tuxedo will not do you much good in a fight."**

"Nephew in the tux? He sounds civilized and cool", Hermes commented.

**The golden Titan laughed. "Don't worry about him. Besides, the gods can barely handle our first little challenge.**

"What challenge?" Hades asked in exasperation. "I'm sick of these riddles!"

"Lets find out", his youngest brother replied and continued reading.

**They have no idea how many others we have in store. Mark my words, in a few days' time, Olympus will be in ruins, and we will meet here again to celebrate the dawn of the Sixth Age!"**

"Not with this awesome book here!" Apollo shot back.

**The golden Titan erupted into flames and disappeared.**

**"Oh, sure," Krios grumbled. "He gets to erupt into flames. I get to wear these stupid ram's horns."**

Everyone laughed a little at that.

**The scene shifted. Now I was outside the pavilion, hiding in the shadows of a Greek column. A boy stood next to me, eavesdropping on the Titans. He had dark silky hair, pale skin, and dark clothes – my friend Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades.**

"That's my boy! Spying on the Titans", Hades smirked and Persephone glared. He didn't like the affairs her husband had with other mortals.

**He looked straight at me, his expression grim. "You see, Percy?" he whispered. "You're running out of time. Do you really think you can beat them without my plan?" His words washed over me as cold as the ocean floor, and my dreams went black.**

Percy grimaced and Nico looked at Percy expectantly.

"What's your plan?" Thalia asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"You'll see", Percy grimaced.

**"Percy?" a deep voice said.**

**My head felt like it had been microwaved in aluminum foil. I opened my eyes and saw a large shadowy figure looming over me.**

**"Beckendorf?" I asked hopefully.**

This time, no one winced or felt hurt at the mention of Beckendorf. They weren't going to let him die. For certain.

**"No, brother."**

"Tyson?" Percy asked.

"Fishy relatives! You're in Poseidon's realm!" Athena deduced.

"Me? Fishy?" Poseidon snorted, insulted. Percy grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry"

**My eyes refocused. I was looking at a Cyclops-a misshapen face, ratty brown hair, one big brown eye full of concern. "Tyson?"**

"Yeah, its him", Annabeth smiled.

**My brother broke into a toothy grin. "Yay! Your brain works!"**

Everyone laughed loudly at that statement.

Thalia knocked at Percy's temple.

"Ouch! What was that for!" Percy cried out.

"It sounds hollow… I don't think you've got anything inside"

Percy glared at her while everyone laughed.

"Shut up"

"Sure, Seaweed brain!"

"Only I can call Percy Seaweed brain!"

"Possessive?"

"Shut up hellboy"

"Oh but I'm right, Wise Girl"

"No Nico, don't call her that! Percy will be jealous!"

"I'm not!"

"Are too!" That was Nico and Thalia.

"He/I is/am not!"

"Is"

"Isn't/ Am not!"

"Is!"

"Isn't!"

"SHUT UP!" All four of them looked up to see an annoyed Hera. "It was amusing at first but its annoying now"

"Fine"

Zeus resumed reading.

**I wasn't so sure.**

Everyone laughed at that. "We all know that sea spawn doesn't have a brain, and if he does, it definitely isn't in working order. He knows it himself", Athena teased.

Poseidon glared at her. "Shut up"

**My body felt weightless and cold. My voice sounded wrong. I could hear Tyson, but it was more like I was hearing vibrations inside my skull, not the regular sounds.**

"That's what it sounds like underwater", Poseidon supplied.

**I sat up, and a gossamer sheet floated away. I was on a bed made of silky woven kelp, in a room paneled with abalone shell. Glowing pearls the size of basketballs floated around the ceiling, providing light. I was under water**

"Wow! Can we play basketball with those pearls someday, Uncle?" asked Nico, fascinated.

Poseidon chuckled. "Why not? Once the war is over…" he trailed off. '_If the kingdom survives', _he grimaced.

**Now, being the son of Poseidon and all, I was okay with this. I can breathe underwater just fine, and my clothes don't even get wet unless I want them to. But it was still a bit of a shock when a hammerhead shark drifted through the bedroom window, regarded me, and then swam calmly out the opposite side of the room.**

Zeus and Hades tried not to look excited. Here was a chance for everyone to compare their realms to Poseidon's. Both of them were sure everyone would like his (Zeus/Hades') own the best.

**"Where–"**

**"Daddy's palace," Tyson said.**

**Under different circumstances, I would've been excited. I'd never visited Poseidon's realm, and I'd been dreaming about it for years. But my head hurt. My shirt was still speckled with burn marks from the explosion. My arm and leg wounds had healed-just being in the ocean can do that for me, given enough time–but I still felt like I'd been trampled by a Laistrygonian soccer team in cleats.**

"That's something I'd like to watch!" Thalia said enthusiastically.

"What? Me in such a bad condition?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, idiot, I mean watching two Laistrygonian soccer teams playing against one another"

People chuckled at the mental picture.

**"How long–"**

**"We found you last night," Tyson said, "sinking through the water."**

**"The **_**Princess Andromeda**_**?"**

**"Went ka-boom, " Tyson confirmed.**

"I like the way this Cyclops talks", Hestia smiled. He was so childlike and innocent.

**"Beckendorf was on board. Did you find…"**

**Tyson's face darkened. "No sign of him. I am sorry, brother."**

**I stared out the window into deep ****blue water. Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in the fall. He had a girlfriend,** **lots of friends, and his whole life ahead of him. He couldn't be **_**gone**_**. Maybe he'd made it off the ship like I had. Maybe he'd jumped over the side… and what? He couldn't have survived a hundred-foot fall into the water like I could. He couldn't have put enough distance between himself and the explosion.**

"It won't matter", said Zeus confidently. "He wont die"

Everyone nodded. The more they heard about him, the more they respected this demigod.

**I knew in my gut he was dead. He'd sacrificed himself to take out the Princess Andromeda, and I had abandoned him.**

"You did the right thing", Hephaestus repeated.

**I thought about my dream: the Titans discussing the explosion as if it didn't matter, Nico Di Angelo warning me that I would never beat Kronos without following his plan – a dangerous idea I'd been avoiding for more than a year.**

"What plan!" asked Ares in exasperation.

**A distant blast shook the room. Green light blazed outside, turning the whole sea as bright as noon.**

**"What was that?" I asked.**

Poseidon grimaced. A blast in his realm was _not _good.

**Tyson looked worried. "Daddy will explain. Come, he is blowing up monsters."**

"Blowing up monsters?" asked Hestia, amused. "Were you fighting someone?"

Poseidon shrugged. "Lets read on".

**The palace might have been the most amazing place I'd ever seen if it hadn't been in the process of getting destroyed. We swam to the end of a long hallway and shot upward on a geyser. As we rose over the rooftops I caught my breath – well, if you can catch your breath underwater.**

"Can you?" asked Annabeth curiously.

"Yeah, sort of", Poseidon replied.

**The palace was as big as the city on Mount Olympus,**

Zeus glared at Poseidon who smirked uncaringly.

**with wide courtyards, gardens, and columned pavilions. The gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Twenty or thirty buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colors. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows. The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights.**

"That's beautiful!" Artemis exclaimed.

Poseidon looked proud.

"By the description itself, it sounds like the best realm out of the Big Three!" Hermes said, deliberately taunting his father and other uncle.

"Hey!" Zeus and Hades cried out, insulted.

**The main courtyard was filled with warriors – mermen with fish tails from the waist down and human bodies from the waist up, except their skin was blue, which I'd never known before. Some were tending the wounded.**

**Some were sharpening spears and swords. One passed us, swimming in a hurry. His eyes were bright green, like that stuff they put in glow sticks, and his teeth were shark teeth. They don't show you stuff like that in **_**The Little Mermaid**_**.**

Apollo, Hermes, Hestia and the demigods laughed.

"It's an awesome movie!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Its for kids", said Thalia, rolling her eyes.

"Its still awesome", Hermes backed his brother.

"Whatever", Thalia replied.

**Outside the main courtyard stood large fortifications-towers, walls, and antisiege weapons-but most of these had been smashed to ruins. Others were blazing with a strange green light that I knew well – Greek fire, which can burn even underwater.**

**Beyond this, the sea floor stretched into gloom. I could see battles raging – flashes of energy, explosions, the glint of armies clashing. A regular human would've found it too dark to see.**

**Heck, a regular human would've been crushed by the pressure and frozen by the cold. Even my heat – sensitive eyes couldn't make out exactly what was going on.**

"Can we really have that basketball match?" asked Nico doubtfully.

"I'll make arrangements when we have the time", Poseidon replied, smiling.

**At the edge of the palace complex, a temple with a red coral roof exploded, sending fire and debris streaming in slow motion across the farthest gardens. Out of the darkness above, an enormous form appeared – a squid larger than any skyscraper.**

Poseidon winced.

**It was surrounded by a glittering cloud of dust – at least I thought it was dust, until I realized it was a swarm of mermen trying to attack the monster.**

**The squid descended on the palace and swatted its tentacles, smashing a whole column of warriors. Then a brilliant arc of blue light shot from the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings. The light hit the giant squid, and the monster dissolved like food coloring in water.**

Poseidon smiled at the comparison.

**"Daddy," Tyson said, pointing to where the light had come from.**

**"He did that?" I suddenly felt more hopeful. My dad had unbelievable powers. He was the god of the sea. He could deal with this attack, right? Maybe he'd let me help.**

"You would, right?" Percy asked.

Poseidon shook his head. Percy's face fell.

"You are needed elsewhere"

Percy sighed.

**"Have you been in the fight?" I asked Tyson in awe. "Like bashing heads with your awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?"**

**Tyson pouted, and immediately I knew I'd asked a bad question, "I have been… fixing weapons," he mumbled. "Come. Let's go find Daddy."**

Percy could understand how Tyson felt.

**I know this might sound weird to people with, like, regular parents, but I'd only seen my dad four or five times in my life, and never for more than a few minutes. The Greek gods don't exactly show up for their kids' basketball games. Still, I thought I would recognize Poseidon on sight.**

**I was wrong.**

"I don't recognize you, Dad?" Percy asked, confused.

**The roof of the temple was a big open deck that had been set up as a command center. A mosaic on the floor showed an exact map of the palace grounds and the surrounding ocean, but the mosaic moved. Colored stone tiles representing different armies and sea monsters shifted around as the forces changed position. Buildings that collapsed in real life also collapsed in the picture.**

"Cool", said Thalia, picturing it in front of her eyes.

**Standing around the mosaic, grimly studying the battle was a strange assortment of warriors, but none of them looked like my dad. I was searching for a big guy with a good tan and a black beard, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.**

Hera snorted. "Who'd wear Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt in the midst of war, Percy"

Percy looked sheepish.

**There was nobody like that. One guy was a merman with two fish tails instead of one. His skin was green, his armor studded with pearls. His black hair was tied in a ponytail, and he looked young- though it's hard to tell with non-humans.**

**They could be a thousand years old or three. Standing next to him was an old man with a bushy white beard and gray hair. His battle armor seemed to weigh him down. He had green eyes and smile wrinkles around his eyes, but he wasn't smiling now. He was studying the map and leaning on a large metal staff.**

"That's me?" asked Poseidon, shocked.

**To his right stood a beautiful woman in green armor with flowing black hair and strange little horns like crab claws.**

"Amphitrite," the sea god acknowledged. He couldn't stop wishing that it would be his Sally instead of Amphitrite.

**And there was a dolphin-just a regular dolphin, but it was staring at the map intently.**

**"Delphin," the old man said. "Send Palaemon and his legion of sharks to the western front. We have to neutralize those leviathans."**

**The dolphin spoke in a chattering voice, but I could understand it in my mind: **_**Yes, lord!**_** It sped away.**

**I looked in dismay at Tyson, then back at the old man.**

**It didn't seem possible, but… "Dad?" I asked.**

**The old man looked up. I recognized the twinkle in his eyes, but his face… He looked like he'd aged forty years.**

"I don't want to see you so battle worn", Percy grimaced.

"None of us do", said Hestia.

**"Hello, Percy."**

**"What – what happened to you?"**

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Is that the way you talk to your father when you meet him? Boys. Such idiots"

"Sis!"

"Don't call me sis!" Artemis screeched.

**Tyson nudged me. He was shaking his head so hard I was afraid it would fall off, but Poseidon didn't look offended.**

**"It's all right, Tyson," he said. "Percy, excuse my appearance. The war has been hard on me."**

**"But you're immortal," I said quietly. "You can look… Any way you want."**

"I reflect the state of my realm", Poseidon explained.

**"I reflect the state of my realm,"** **he said. "And right now that state is quite grim. Percy, I should introduce you – I'm afraid you just missed my lieutenant Delphin, God of the Dolphins. This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear-"**

"I feel bad for Amphitrite", said Hera. Persephone nodded. "I can understand"

The Big Three looked away guiltily.

**The lady in green armor stared at me coldly, then crossed her arms and said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in the battle."**

**She swam away.**

"I'm sorry for that", Poseidon replied.

Percy shrugged. "I didn't think she'd be happy to see me anyway. Its understandable"

**I felt pretty awkward, but I guess I couldn't blame her. I'd never thought about it much, but my dad had an immortal wife. All his romances with mortals, including with my mom… Well, Amphitrite probably didn't like that much.**

"She doesn't like it one bit", Hera confirmed.

**Poseidon cleared his throat. "Yes, well… And this is my son Triton. Er, my other son."**

"My half brother", Percy wondered out loud.

**"Your son and heir," the green dude corrected. His double fish tails swished back and forth. He smiled at me, but there was no friendliness in his eyes. "Hello, Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?"**

"What does he mean by _help at last?_" Annabeth fumed.

"He's just jealous", Poseidon replied.

"Jealous of me?" Percy blinked.

Poseidon nodded, smiling. "You are my favourite son after all"

Percy went a brilliant red.

**He acted like I was late or lazy. If you can blush underwater, I probably did.**

"I think you can do all that", said Hermes.

"This boy needs cereal to get his brain in working order"

"I think we'd decided he doesn't have a brain, _step grandmother_", Nico grinned.

"Don't call me that!" Demeter shrieked. Nico's mouth was stuffed with oat flakes and he could speak unless he'd munched them all down.

Everyone laughed at him.

**"Tell me what to do," I said.**

**Triton smiled like that was a cute suggestion – like I was a slightly amusing dog that had barked for him or something. **

"Hey!" Annabeth exclaimed angrily but before she could rant on, Zeus continued.

**He turned to Poseidon. "I will see to the front line, Father. Don't worry. I will not fail."**

"Where did I fail?" Percy burst out. Then he remembered. His face fell. "Oh. Beckendorf"

**He nodded politely to Tyson. How come I didn't get that much respect? Then he shot off into the water.**

"He doesn't like you", Demeter stated.

**Poseidon sighed. He raised his staff, and it changed into his regular weapon – a huge three-pointed trident. The tip glowed with blue light, and the water around it boiled with energy.**

**"I'm sorry about that," he told me.**

**A huge sea serpent appeared from above us and spiraled down toward the roof. It was bright orange with a fanged mouth big enough to swallow a gymnasium.**

**Hardly looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident at the beast and zapped it with blue energy. Ka-boom! The monster burst into a million goldfish, which all swam off in terror.**

**"My family is anxious," Poseidon continued as if nothing had happened. "The battle against Oceanus is going poorly."**

Everyone around the table grimaced. Athena pulled out a pen and paper. Hephaestus looked at her curiously.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Jotting down a list of things we'll need to keep in mind when we make our plans", she replied.

"Intelligent. What all is there?"

"Not much yet. (1) Not letting Beckendorf die. Try finding a strategy to blow up the _Princess Andromeda _without the demigods being hurt. Or instead, find an alternative to that. (2) Poseidon's battle isn't going well. Much as I hate it, we need him to defeat Typhon, who will be attacking as the summary of the book states. Find a way to help Poseidon win the battle. (3) The book says that the gods are busy fighting Typhon and Olympus is undefended but for the demigods. Need more data about their strategy to plan further. That's all for now"

"Well, its quite enough to keep us occupied", said Aphrodite.

"That's true", Artemis agreed for once.

**He pointed to the edge of the mosaic. With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull. He appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by crawfish, and instead of a sword he wielded a live serpent.**

"Oceanus", Annabeth stated.

"Who we'll make sure Poseidon beats to pulp", Athena said in an attempt to comfort a despaired Poseidon.

Aphrodite smiled to herself. Maybe… maybe she could tamper with their love lives… a child with their combined powers would be powerful.

"Don't – even – think about it", Athena growled menacingly, reading her mind. Aphrodite just giggled.

**"Oceanus," I said, trying to remember. "The Titan of the sea?"**

"No", said Apollo sarcastically.

**Poseidon nodded. "He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is… Well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side."**

"I wonder if that'll happen…" Persephone trailed off.

**"He looks stupid," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "I mean, who fights with a snake?"**

Everyone laughed a little at that. Poseidon smiled. His son would always be by his side and help him out.

**"Daddy will tie it in knots," Tyson said firmly.**

"Go Uncle!" Thalia cheered. Hestia giggled.

**Poseidon smiled, but he looked weary. "I appreciate your faith. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed. And still he finds new forces to throw at me**** - sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them."**

"Adding this to the list. (4) Refresh all of our memories about the most ancient monsters and inform the demigods about them", said Athena.

Hades didn't like this. So many monsters were escaping Tartarus.

**I heard an explosion in the distance. About half a mile away, a mountain of coral disintegrated under the weight of two giant creatures. I could dimly make out their shapes. One was a lobster.**

**The other was a giant humanoid like a Cyclops, but he was surrounded by a flurry of limbs. At first I thought he wearing a bunch of giant octopi. Then I realized they were his own arms – a hundred flailing, fighting arms.**

"What the heck?" said Thalia, "Do you think a creature would wear a bunch of giant octopi to a fashion parade, much less a war?"

Aphrodite shuddered at the thought of such a fashion disaster.

"They would… if they had a bad sense of fashion", Percy muttered.

**"Briares!" I said.**

**I was happy to see him, but he looked like he was fighting for his life. He was the last of his kind-a Hundred-Handed One, cousin of the Cyclopes. **

Poseidon and Hephaestus looked sad about that. The hundred-handed ones were awesome.

**We'd saved him from Kronos's prison last summer, and I knew he'd come to help Poseidon, but I hadn't heard of him since.**

**"He fights well," Poseidon said. "I wish we had a whole army like him, but he is the only one."**

**I watched as Briares bellowed in rage and picked up the lobster, which thrashed and snapped its pincers. He threw it off the coral mountain, and the lobster disappeared into the darkness. Briares swam after it, his hundred arms spinning like the blades of a motorboat.**

"That's a good idea for improving the speed of a motorboat", Hephaestus muttered distractedly.

**"Percy, we may not have much time," my dad said. "Tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?"**

**I told him everything, though my voice choked up when I explained about Beckendorf. I looked down at the courtyards below and saw hundreds of wounded mermen lying on makeshift cots. I saw rows of coral mounds that must've been hastily made graves.**

Poseidon looked horrified. He didn't want to see that.

**I realized Beckendorf wasn't the first death. He was only one of hundreds, maybe thousands. I'd never felt so angry and helpless.**

**Poseidon stroked his beard. "Percy, Beckendorf chose a heroic death. You bear no blame for that. Kronos's army will be in disarray. Many were destroyed."**

**"But we didn't kill him, did we?"**

**As I said it, I knew it was a naive hope. We might blow up his ship and disintegrate his monsters, but a Titan lord wouldn't be so easy to kill.**

**"No," Poseidon admitted. "But you've bought our side some time."**

**"There were demigods on that ship," I said, thinking of the kid I'd seen in the stairwell. Somehow I'd allowed myself to concentrate on the monsters and Kronos. I'd convinced myself that destroying their ship was all right because they were evil, they were sailing to attack my city, and besides, they couldn't really be permanently killed. Monsters just vaporized and re-formed eventually. But demigods…**

All the demigods looked sad. They could totally sympathize with Percy.

**Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder. "Percy, there were only a few demigod warriors aboard that ship, and they all chose to battle for Kronos. Perhaps some heeded your warning and escaped. If they did not… They chose their path."**

"They were brainwashed! And they'll die for someone who couldn't care less about him!" Percy exclaimed angrily.

"It can't be helped", Poseidon replied.

**"They were brainwashed!" I said. "Now they're dead and Kronos is still alive. That's supposed to make me feel better?"**

"That's exactly what I mean!"

**I glared at the mosaic**** – little tile explosions destroying tile monsters. It seemed so easy when it was just a picture.**

"Or a game", Nico muttered.

"Yeah, like AOM", said Apollo.

"AOM?" Zeus asked.

"Age of Mythology", Hermes replied. "Its this video game that mortal kids play basked on 'mythological Greek gods'"

Everyone snorted.

"Actually, Father, you look quite menacing in the pictures they have", said Thalia.

"I need to see them someday", Zeus muttered, and then continued.

**Tyson put his arm around me. If anybody else had tried that, I would've pushed him away, but Tyson was too big and stubborn. He hugged me whether I wanted it or not. "Not your fault, brother. Kronos does not explode good. Next time we will use a big stick."**

Everyone chuckled at this. Apollo and Hermes started with the blue plastic hairbrush jokes again.

"Yeah! This time Tyson will throw a big stick smack in the middle of his big head instead of a blue plastic hairbrush!" Apollo chuckled.

Before the duo could start enacting this scene, Zeus continued reading.

**"Percy," my father said. "Beckendorf's sacrifice wasn't in vain. You have scattered the invasion force. New York will be safe for a time, which frees the other Olympians to deal with the bigger threat."**

**"The bigger threat?" I thought about what the golden Titan had said in my dream: **_**The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed**_**.**

**A shadow passed over my father's face. "You've had enough sorrow for one day. Ask Chiron when you return to camp."**

**"Return to camp? But you're in trouble here. I want to help!"**

**"You can't, Percy. Your job is elsewhere."**

"Yeah, you told me", Percy said.

"Percy, remember its up to us to defend Olympus?" Annabeth reminded him. "We need you".

Percy smiled. He was glad she trusted his abilities.

"And to not let them down you need to do what I say. You know it, Percy", Nico whispered.

**I couldn't believe I was hearing this. I looked at Tyson for backup.**

**My brother chewed his lip. "Daddy… Percy can fight with a sword.** **He is good."  
><strong>  
>"Percy isn't <em>good<em> with the sword. He –

Ares was cut of by a fountain of saline water blasting him out of his seat.

"Remember Ares, I've already defeated you once", said Percy angrily.

Ares seethed at the humiliation of the memory. "I'm gonna get you, punk. You're mad if you think I wont take revenge for that insult"

"Madness reminds me!" said Aphrodite suddenly. "Dionysus hasn't said a word since ages".

She turned to see a curtain of grapevine bulging out over a fat figure.

Aphrodite pushed the curtain away to see the wine god sleeping like a log.

Everyone stared at him incredulously and then laughed heartily at this sight.

"Wake him up, brother", said Zeus to Poseidon.

Poseidon complied and Dionysus woke up, cross as a wet cat.

"Dionysus", Zeus boomed menacingly.

Dionysus gulped.

"HOW DARE YOU SLEEP AT A MEETING OF THE GODS?" The king of gods exploded.

"I-

"Next time you displease me, I'll throw you off Mount Olympus myself. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Dionysus merely nodded and sat up straight. Apollo bit back laughter and dried his brother with a blast of heat.

The demigods laughed silently and Dionysus glared at them.

"Where were we?" asked Hera, her lips twitching into a smile.

"I'll repeat", Zeus replied.

**"Return to camp? But you're in trouble here. I want to help!"**

**"You can't, Percy. Your job is elsewhere."**

I couldn't believe I was hearing this. I looked at Tyson for backup.

**My brother chewed his lip. "Daddy… Percy can fight with a sword.** **He is good."  
><strong>  
><strong>"I know that," Poseidon said gently.<strong>

**"Dad, I can help," I said. "I know I can. You're not going to hold out here much longer."**

**A fireball launched into the sky from behind the enemy lines. I thought Poseidon would deflect it or something, but it landed on the outer corner of the yard and exploded, sending mermen tumbling through the water. Poseidon winced as if he'd just been stabbed.**

Poseidon looked pained. Was the situation going to be this bad?

**"Return to camp," he insisted. "And tell Chiron it is time."**

**"For what?"**

The gods and Annabeth grimaced.

**"You must hear the prophecy. The entire prophecy."**

"Dad", asked Thalia. "I cant be the child of the prophecy, can I?"

"No Thalia, you've passed the age of sixteen. You're immortal now. Its Percy... and if he doesn't make it… then its Nico"

Percy and Poseidon cringed. They didn't like hearing the possibility of Percy dying.

Thalia nodded. She was curious as to what her fate would be if she was the child of the prophecy.

**I didn't need to ask him which prophecy. I'd been hearing about the "Great Prophecy" for years, but nobody would ever tell me the whole thing. All I knew was that I was supposed to make a decision that would decide the fate of the world – but no pressure.**

Percy looked away and no one had any idea of how to console him.

**"What if this is the decision?" I said. "Staying here to fight, or leaving? What if I leave and you…"**

**I couldn't say die. Gods weren't supposed to die, but I'd seen it happen. Even if they didn't die, they could be reduced to nearly nothing, exiled, imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus like Kronos had been.**

Poseidon and Percy cringed at the word _die_.

**"Percy, you must go," Poseidon insisted. "I don't know what your final decision will be, but your fight lies in the world above. If nothing else, you must warn your friends at camp. Kronos knew your plans. You have a spy. We will hold here. We have no choice."**

Again the gods wondered, who could've betrayed them this way. And why? That bewildered them.

The demigods were unable to think of anyone in the camp who could be a spy.

**Tyson gripped my hand desperately. "I will miss you, brother!"**

'_I'll miss you too', _Percy thought.

**Watching us, our father seemed to age another ten years. "Tyson, you have work to do as well, my son. They need you in the armory."**

**Tyson pouted some more.**

**"I will go," he sniffled. He hugged me so hard he almost cracked my ribs. "Percy, be careful! Do not let monsters kill you dead!"**

"Yeah, they can slay you alive though", Ares snorted.

**I tried to nod confidently, but it was too much for the big guy. He sobbed and swam away toward the armory, where his cousins were fixing spears and swords.**

**"You should let him fight, " I told my father. "He hates being stuck in the armory. Can't you tell?"**

"I know!" Poseidon groaned. "He's too young!"

**Poseidon shook his head. "It is bad enough I must send you into danger. Tyson is too young. I must protect him."**

**"You should trust him," I said. "Not try to protect him."**

Poseidon looked angry. "I know what I'm doing", he said, coldly.

**Poseidon's eyes flared. I thought I'd gone too far, but then he looked down at the mosaic and his shoulders sagged. On the tiles, the mermaid guy in the crawfish chariot was coming closer to the palace.**

**"Oceanus approaches," my father said. "I must meet him in battle."**

**I'd never been scared for a god before, but I didn't see how my dad could face this Titan and win.**

"Thank you for your confidence, Percy", said Poseidon sarcastically.

"You know that's not me, just my book self, right?" Percy retorted. When Poseidon didn't reply, Percy was slightly anxious. "You know I trust you dad? You're awesome!" he said with all his heart. Poseidon smiled at that.

**"I will hold," Poseidon promised. "I will not give up my domain. Just tell me, Percy, do you still have the birthday gift I gave you last summer?"**

Percy fingered his camp necklace.

**I nodded and pulled out my camp necklace. It had a bead for every summer I'd been at Camp Half-Blood, but since last year, I'd also kept a sand dollar on the cord.**

**My father had given it to me for my fifteenth birthday. He'd told me that I would know when to "spend it," but so far, I hadn't figured out what he meant. All I knew was that it didn't fit the vending machines in the school cafeteria.**

**"The time is coming," he promised. "With luck, I will see you for your birthday next week, and we will have a proper celebration."**

Percy looked doubtful.

**He smiled, and for a moment, I saw the old light in his eyes.**

**Then the entire sea grew dark in front of us, like an inky storm was rolling in. Thunder crackled, which would've been impossible underwater. A huge icy presence was approaching us. I sensed a wave of fear roll through the armies below us.**

Everyone looked worried at that description.

**"I must assume my true godly form," Poseidon said. "Go – and good luck, my son."**

**I wanted to encourage him, to hug him or something. But I knew better than to stick around. When a god assumes his true form, the power is so great that any mortal looking on him will disintegrate.**

"Thanks for the thought, Percy", said Poseidon.

**"Good-bye, Father," I managed.**

Dionysus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't dare to in case Zeus seriously went forward with his threat.

**Then I turned away. I willed the ocean currents to air me. Water swirled around me, and I shot toward the surface at speeds that would've cause any normal human to pop like a balloon.**

"You show off so much", said Annabeth and Thalia and Nico nodded their agreement.

"Whatever", Percy mumbled.

**When I looked back, all I could see were flashes of green and blue as my father fought the Titan, and the sea itself was torn apart by the two armies.**

"Dramatic line", Zeus muttered. "Well, that's the end of the chapter".

It was late at night and the demigods looked exhausted.

"You should all go and catch some rest", Persephone told the demigods.

All the gods nodded.

"We will meet again tomorrow, and read the next chapter. Right now, demigods and Dionysus, go back to camp", Zeus ordered.

Dionysus didn't dare protest and was silent.

"Thalia can sleep in the honorary cabin meant for my hunters", said Artemis. Thalia nodded.

"She could also sleep in the cabin meant for my children", Zeus muttered.

"You're so lucky, Thalia. You have two cabins to choose from. I have not even one. My father doesn't even get a permanent seat in the throne room of Olympus. It hurts a lot sometimes", Nico muttered to Thalia grudgingly.

Thalia looked sad and didn't know how to console him. She merely hugged him and said, "I'm sorry".

The gods had heard this and they all looked uncomfortable, and Hades looked sad.

"I'm sorry, brother", Zeus said, putting his hand on Hades' shoulder. Hades shrugged it off. "I don't need your sympathy. If you cared, you would've done something about it".

"Nico can sleep in my cabin", said Percy. Poseidon nodded his approval.

"Its settled then", said Hades and disappeared into the shadows after saying goodbye only to his son.

Thalia, Annabeth and Percy felt uncomfortable and bad for Nico as they went back to Camp.

"We should do something about it", said Poseidon to Zeus. His brother nodded.

They all went their separate ways, back to their realms, again with a lot to think about.

* * *

><p>The Titan was glad about how his little project was going.<p>

He was impressed with Athena's planning. He straightened his tux and winced at the pain in his stomach.

"_Maybe everything will work out fine", _he thought, before he blacked out from the pain.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the second chapter finished!<strong>

**Gee, its hard to be vague about the titan without not making sense!**

**How was it? Read and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Reviews make my day!**

**And I can write **_**fast**_** when I'm happy.**

**Thanks for your time!**

**-ITOR**


	4. I take a sneak peak at my death

**A/N: Hello people! Here's the next chapter =)**

**Check out my other PJO fanfic – So close, Yet so far. Its Percabeth for all you Percy x Annabeth lovers! Don't kill me though 'cause it isn't a happy story (YET anyway). **

**And to all those who think the titan was Prometheus, wait and see if you're right or wrong! (Zips mouth and throws away the key xD)**

**Anyway some replies and messages =) **

**1) Thanks everyone who read this story!**

**2) Thank you Malason, Wicked'456, Kirino Tsuki, LMCPERCYLOVER46, Mytical-Mist-Devil, apollogoddessweasley, James 317, XQueenXOfXGodXDamnXEmosX,Dr. Pyro,**

**appaloosa128, ****zaz14 is potter mad,****music-crazed-girl-that-3-books, DreamsIsWhatYouMadeOf, Anime Princess, BrightEmeraldRose, Darthjontan, YellowMouse, Fallenarchangel, Izzy-Daystar, Partin, ADTR is AWESOME, momo9momo, LilyRianneEvans, DalekDavros and natsukyi ****for adding this story to your favourite lists!**

**3) Thanks Halliwellcharmed3, apollogoddessweasley, zeynel, ****appaloosa128, ****wamakima5004****, ****Rose the packs Fang, gylfie9, melissax0, zaz14 is potter mad, music-crazed-girl-that-3-books, kisabestfriendforever and Ginevra1988 ****for adding this story to your story alert lists!**

**4) THANK YOU SO MUCH XQueenXOfXGodXDamnXEmosX and Anime Princess for adding me to your favourite authors list =D =D (hugs) YOU ROCK! =D**

**Also, since I don't know which story you both read, but still, thank you so much kitty-whiskers and daughterofposeidon236 for adding me to your favourite authors list! =D**

**5) THANKS reviewers! Here are the review replies!**

**dAuGhTeR oF zEuS: Haha thanks! **

**EvErYtHiNgFiTs: Thanks! This isn't just story reading as you'll find out in the next chapters, it's a lot more! **

**Noble Six: Thanks! Keep reading!**

**chloexo: Nah, you were the first! Now people have =) And as for the Titan, oh I don't know, read and see? ;)**

**Mytical-Mist-Devil: =D Thanks! Mmmm… my mouth is zipped and I lost the key so IDK :D Lol yeah… he sure 'helped' Percy xD**

**darklilyofthevalley: Mmhm… nice logic. But read and see =)**

**Dr . Pyro: Thanks! Mayyybeee**

**XQueenXOfXGodXDamnXEmosX: You just missed an 'E' in Prometheus. And lets find out if its him!**

**Anime Princess: Mmm… watch =D Updated :D**

**YellowMouse: Thanks! =D**

**Izzy-Daystar: Thanks! Here it is!**

**Crypto the Greek Goddess: None taken. Thanks for the feedback. Umm… what is paren. ?**

**music-crazed-girl-that-3-books: Thanks! Yeah I know, what a waste of time. Hehe, Percabeth rocks everywhere :D**

**chris67: thanks!**

**Well, that's all for now. I love the response you guys are giving me! YAY xD**

**Here's the next chapter! **

**DISCLAIMER: I'M NOT RICK RIORDIAN, SO UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SERIES. PEACE!**

* * *

><p>The gods and demigods met on Olympus again. But something was different. The two temporary thrones meant for Hades and Hestia were shining with a golden light.<p>

"Hades, Hestia?" Zeus asked. The two gods looked at him curiously.

"Would you two please stand for a while?"

The gods shrugged and followed him, slightly humiliated and extremely curious as to what was going on.

The King of gods cleared his throat. "I have an announcement to make", he began.

Everyone looked at him intently.

"Well, after Nico's little comment yesterday"

Nico blushed. Zeus continued.

"The rest of us gods realized our injustice, and Poseidon and I came to the conclusion that we need to do something about it. Its wrong for Hades, our elder brother, to live like an outcast whereas he is just as powerful as any of us". The last nine words were said grudgingly and Hades and Nico were grinning from ear to ear.

"Also, Hestia, our eldest sister, who gave up her throne to avoid a war breaking out between us Olympians when Dionysus was made a god also deserves her throne. Therefore, I have decided that instead of there being twelve Olympians, we will now have fourteen Olympian gods", he finished proudly.

Cheers broke out everywhere while Hades and Hestia looked absolutely elated.

"Father", Athena said, "I have nothing against Aunt Hestia and Uncle Hades becoming Olympian gods, and in fact, would be very glad for it to happen, but centuries of mortals before us have learnt that there have been twelve Olympian gods. Wouldn't this hamper their learning?"

"The world is constantly changing, daughter. Change can be for the good or the better, and in this case – it is for the better. We will make sure this news spreads inconspicuously throughout the mortal world", Zeus replied.

Athena was satisfied with this answer and she smiled at the two new Olympians. "Well", she said, "I'm glad you both will be joining".

"Also", said Zeus, not yet done with his speech, "Hades and Hestia will get their cabins and Camp Half Blood as well. Nico can finally have his own cabin", he smiled at a blushing and grinning Nico, while the demigods, Apollo and Hermes cheered and hooted. "Although Hestia is a maiden goddess, she will have her honorary cabin, just like Artemis and Hera".

Hestia smiled and said, "Brother, I would like anyone in search of a warm place and safe shelter – a home, to be welcome in my cabin for as long as they please".

"Well then, new undetermined demigods will now live in the Hestia cabin till they know who their godly parent is, and the rest can stay in Hermes cabin if Hestia is too full", Zeus decided.

Hestia and Hermes nodded their agreement and the demigods grinned. No more stuff life for Hermes' children.

"Dionysus, I hope you're listening, for you need to implement these changes", Zeus glared, but for once, even Dionysus was willingly attentive.

"Well, Hestia, Hades, I would like you to now sit on your thrones and close your eyes and imagine the ideal throne for yourself", Zeus ordered.

The two new Olympians did as told. In moments, Hades' throne was transformed into a black and gold throne with pictures of the underworld and death intricately carved into its sides. If you didn't look too closely at the death scenes, it was a beautiful throne. Hestia's, on the other hand, was a comfortable looking silver throne with warm, comforting and homely images carved around it in sapphire inlay. Artemis and Athena too had silver thrones – silver being the mark of maiden goddesses.

Everyone marveled at the two beautiful new thrones.

Zeus started chanting in Ancient Greek - _**ο Δίας, ο βασιλιάς των Θεών διορίζει Κυρίου Άδη - θεός του κάτω κόσμου και ο βασιλιάς των νεκρών και η κυρία Εστία - Κόρη θεά του σπιτιού, εστία μαγειρέματος και ως μόνιμο Ολύμπιοι θεοί. Ας γιορτάσουμε και να καλωσορίσουμε τα δύο μεγάλα Θεοί - Όλα χαλάζι Άδη και Εστία! Αμήν!**_

The demigods understood what he was saying.

'_I, Zeus, the king of Gods appoints Lord Hades – God of The Underworld and King of the dead and Lady Hestia – Maiden goddess of the home, hearth and cooking as permanent Olympian gods. Let us celebrate and welcome the two great Gods – All hail Lord Hades and Lady Hestia! Amen!'_

All the gods and demigods bowed and the room was bathed in a blinding golden light. As it faded, Hades and Hestia shone with power.

"I- I feel more powerful", said Hades. "Me too", Hestia smiled. The demigods were awed at what they had just seen.

Hestia suddenly did something unexpected. She got up and hugged Zeus tightly. "Thank you, little brother", she smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Zeus blushed slightly and said it was nothing. "Poseidon was a great part of it too", he added, which got Poseidon to receive a hug from the **Olympian **goddess of the home and hearth.

Hades smiled widely. "I", he began, but Poseidon cut him off. "No need, brother. We have denied the right too long. It was about time". Hades smiled gratefully.

"I'm sorry that you wont be able to have your cabins right now though", said Zeus.

Hades and Hestia brushed it away. "With the war coming up, its understandable. I'm sure Nico's okay with it".

Nico nodded to his father and smiled.

"Well then, shall we read on?" asked Apollo. Everyone agreed, the atmosphere in the room glad and eager.

"I'm reading", said Aphrodite, and pulled the book to her, flipping to the right page.

"You know how to?" asked Artemis innocently, fake sweetness and real sarcasm dripping from every word. Everyone but Ares laughed.

Aphrodite scowled and began.

"**I Get a Sneak Peek at My Death"**

"My death?" asked Percy hoarsely.

"The Great Prophecy, Seaweed Brain", Annabeth soothed, though she was worried about his reaction.

**If you want to be popular at Camp Half-Blood, don't come back from a mission with bad news.**

Most of the people rolled their eyes. "That's the rule for popularity **everywhere**", Hera snorted.

**Word of my arrival spread as soon as I walked out of the ocean.**

"That reminds me of one of those cheesy films", Thalia grinned.

"Oh yeah! Hero walks out of the ocean, his chest bare, perfect six pack abs, running a hand through his wet hair. Gee, sounds like me", Apollo boasted.

"Nope", everyone around the table chorused, though Thalia grudgingly had to agree. Apollo _was _hot. But she didn't let anyone know what she was thinking.

**Our beach is on the North Shore of Long Island, it's enchanted so most people can't even see it.** **People don't just **_**appear**_** on the beach unless they're demigods or gods or really, really lost pizza guys. (It's happened – but that's another story.)**

All around the table, people were laughing.

"What happened?" asked Artemis curiously.

Percy and Annabeth tried to calm themselves down but failed miserably. Everyone waited impatiently and the duo finally managed to stop laughing.

"It – was – hilarious", Percy managed to say in short gasps. Before anyone could give sarcastic replies, Percy started the story.

"See, what happened was, Clarisse was chasing me because I'd insulted Lamer", Percy began.

Ares glared. "Lamer?"

Percy gulped. "I- I mean Maimer, her super awesome electric spear"

Ares looked normal (at least, he didn't look like he was going to kill Percy that very instance, which was pretty normal for him) after the fake praise of his daughter's spear. Everyone else rolled their eyes. Percy continued.

"She was pretty mad at me, and looked like she was about to kill me, so I did the natural thing. I jumped into the ocean. Then", Percy broke of laughing again and Annabeth took it up from there.

"Well I was running after these people in my Yankees cap. I decided to be there in case Percy needed some back up –

Aphrodite 'awwed' and Annabeth quickly continued before Apollo or Hermes could crack a joke about her concern for him.

"Because Clarisse looked murderous. The next thing I saw was a red box bobbing up and down in the water and Percy practically flying through the water towards it. He picked up the box and threw it out of the water. Around five or six more boxes got the same treatment. Going closer, I realized they were pizza boxes"

At that statement, everyone was laughing until they had stitches in their sides. "Oh that can only be expected of dear _Seaweed Brain _here", Thalia teased.

"Hey! Who doesn't want free pizza?" Percy defended and everyone else laughed.

"Wouldn't the pizza be soaked?" asked Nico.

Percy smirked. "I'm the son of the sea, hell boy. I can dry soaked stuff. I can do stuff like that"

"You'd be a lot less cheaper than a clothes dryer then", Nico shot back and people chuckled at Percy's expression.

"Anyway, Percy pulled out this Chinese pizza delivery guy who was shivering madly. Clarisse, Percy and I took him to Chiron. Turns out he was a delivery guy in Hong Kong who was delivering a pizza to a group of friends staying near the sea for a holiday and he lost his way and accidentally fell into the sea. Chiron paid him some mortal cash and sent him back with his memory erased and all of us ate the pizzas", she finished, giggling at seeing everyone cracking up at the mental image the scene formed.

"Surprisingly the pizzas were pretty warm", she commented.

"And awesomely yum", Percy added, licking his lips.

Annabeth chuckled, holding back the urge to kiss him then and there because he looked so adorable. Aphrodite squealed at her reaction and then continued reading.

**Anyway, that afternoon the lookout on duty was Connor Stoll from the Hermes cabin.** **When he spotted me, he got so excited he fell out of his tree.**

A few people chuckled.

**Then he blew the conch horn to signal the camp and ran to greet me. Connor had a crooked smile that matched his crooked sense of humor.**

"He has an **awesome** sense of humour!" Hermes defended and Apollo nodded. Aphrodite, who'd read a little ahead giggled girlishly and continued reading.

**He's a pretty nice guy,** **but you should always keep one hand on your wallet when he's around, and do not, under any circumstances; give him access to shaving cream unless you want to find your sleeping bag full of it.**

Everyone laughed and Percy grimaced. It had **not **been a nice feeling.

**He's got curly brown hair and is a little shorter than his brother, Travis, which is the only way I can tell them apart.** **They are both so unlike my old enemy Luke it's hard to believe they're all sons of Hermes.**

Hermes glared at nothing and no one in particular.

"Sorry", Percy whispered.

**"Percy!" he yelled. "What happened? Where's Beckendorf?"**

Hephaestus reminded himself that Beckendorf would **not **die. No. They wouldn't let it happen.

**Then he saw my expression and his smile melted. "Oh, no. Poor Silena. Holy Zeus, when she finds out…"**

Aphrodite was thinking the same as Hephaestus. Unconsciously, the linked hands, searching for comfort in each other's presence since they were the only two right now who could understand each other. Hera was trying hard to hide a delighted smile. Aphrodite continued, her voice a lot less cheerful.

**Together we climbed the sand dunes. A few hundred yards away, people were already streaming towards us, smiling and excited.**

Percy shut his eyes tight. He wished this would never happen. He wouldn't let it happen. Beckendorf wouldn't die. No.

_**Percy's back, **_**they were probably thinking. **_**He's saved the day! Maybe he brought souvenirs!**_

"Dramatic fool", said Dionysus, rolling his eyes.

**I stopped at the dining pavilion and waited for them. No sense rushing down there to tell them what a loser I was.**

Nico and Thalia would've cracked many jokes at that statement had the atmosphere not been so grave.

**I gazed across the valley and tried to remember how Camp Half-Blood looked the first time I ever saw it. That seemed like a bajillion years ago.**

**From the dining pavilion, you could see pretty much everything. Hills ringed the valley.**

**On the tallest, Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree stood with the Golden Fleece hanging from its branches.**

Thalia flinched. It wasn't a pleasant memory. Zeus glared at his feet.

**The guard dragon Peleus was so big now I could see him from here – curled around the tree trunk, sending up smoke signals as he snored.**

**To my right spread the woods. To my left, the canoe lake glittered and the climbing wall glowed from the lava pouring down its side. Twelve cabins – one for each Olympian god – Made a horseshoe pattern around the commons area. Farther south were the strawberry fields,** **the armory and the four-story Big House with its sky blue paint job and its bronze eagle weathervane. In some ways, the camp hadn't changed. But you couldn't see the war by looking at the buildings or the fields. You see it in all the faces of the demigods and satyrs and naiads coming up the hill.**

The gods looked grim. Camp Half Blood was never this gloomy.

**There weren't as many at camp as four summers ago. Some had left and never come back. Some had died fighting. Others – we tried not to talk about them – had gone over to the enemy.**

Persephone looked very sad. She had personally met many of the campers who had die and they were all really great children.

Hermes glared, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

**The ones who were still here were battle-hardened and weary. There was little laughter at camp these days. Even the Hermes cabin didn't play so many pranks. It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.**

There was a short silence. Percy looked down at his feet. He didn't really like his personal thoughts out in the open, but it was true. Life did seem like a practical joke.

The gods silently wondered how many children felt the same way, and for the first time, they actually thought deeply about the pain their children felt.

Ares, the one person least affected by war pulled the book to him and saved Aphrodite the trouble of continuing in her current emotional state.

**Chiron galloped into the pavilion first, which was easy for him since he's a white stallion from the waist down. His beard had grown wilder over the summer. He wore a green T-shirt that said My Other Car Is a Centaur and a bow slung over his back.**

Nico grinned despite the serious situation. Seriously, the t-shirt was cool.

**"Percy!" he said. "Thank the gods. But where…"**

**Annabeth rain in right behind him and I'll admit my heart did a little relay race in my chest when I saw her.**

Percy blushed a brilliant red, and Annabeth was in the same condition.

'_Not my personal thoughts', _he groaned to himself.

'_Here's my chance to figure out if he likes me',_ thought Annabeth gleefully to herself.

Nico, Thalia, Hermes and Apollo were chuckling and Aphrodite was squealing even as Athena glared daggers at Percy and Poseidon tried to decide whether his son should date his rival's daughter if he liked her.

**It's not that she tried to look good.**

Percy blushed redder – if that was possible, Athena's glare got sharper, Poseidon's decision became clearer, the foursome's chuckles became quiet laughter, Aphrodite started hitting extremely high pitches in her squeals and Annabeth was feeling happier and happier.

**We'd been doing so many combat missions lately, she hardly brushed her curly blond hair anymore, and she didn't care what clothes she was wearing –**

"Eew", Aphrodite wrinkled her nose and Percy glared at her. How dare she do that? Annabeth was gorgeous!

**usually the same old orange camp T-shirt and jeans, and once in a while her bronze armor.**

**Her eyes were stormy gray. Most of the time we couldn't get through a conversation without trying to strangle each other. Still, just seeing her made me feel fuzzy in the head.**

Percy and Annabeth were blushing furiously. Poseidon smiled at Percy, giving silent encouragement to him. Percy smiled back at him but it was wiped clean of his face when Annabeth shyly whispered to him, "Do you really think I'm good looking? And does seeing me really make you feel that way?"

He didn't answer and looked away. The truth was, yes. Yes, he did. Yes, it did.

**Last summer, before Luke had turned into Kronos and everything went sour, there had been a few times when I thought maybe… well, that we might get past the strangle-each-other phase.**

"You better not", Athena growled.

'_Sorry mom, not happening'_, thought Annabeth to herself. Athena must've read her thoughts because she sighed and thought back to her.

'_Do you like him?' _

Annabeth blushed. _'Yeah'_

Athena sighed. _'Fine. I'll be watching. If I approve of him, then maybe…'_

And with that Athena left Annabeth's mind alone. She would be sick if she would read any more of her daughter's thoughts about the sea spawn. She really liked him.

**"What happened?" She grabbed my arm. "Is Luke –"**

"Annabeth!" Percy groaned and punched the table. The next minute he winced.

"Oww"

Zeus smirked. That table was resistant to Olympian Anger. What could a puny little demigod do?

"Are you okay, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth giggled. She took his hand to examine the swelling on his knuckles but Percy pulled it away, pretty mad. _Why the hell does she like Luke more than me?_

**"The ship blew up," I said. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where –"**

**Silena Beauregard pushed through the crowd. Her hair wasn't combed and she wasn't even wearing makeup, which wasn't like her.**

Aphrodite looked horrified. Her daughter must have been extremely anxious. She decided that whatever happened, Beckendorf would be under her protection.

**"Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.**

"That's a great idea!" she squealed. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"See, when Beckendorf and Percy, **both **of them come back _**alive**_, then we'll let Beckendorf hide somewhere and surprise her when she starts crying because she thinks she's lost him", Aphrodite gushed excitedly.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Aphrodite was good for nothing but such superficial stuff. Romantic love was stupid. It just got young maidens hurt over stupid nitwit boys and distracted both males and females from what mattered the most in their lives.

The rest of them shook their head, amused. Aphrodite could make every situation so, so gooey and love story-ish.

**I glanced at Chiron helplessly.**

**The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House –"**

"Chiron needs lessons in breaking such bad news", Hephaestus declared. Aphrodite nodded her agreement.

**"No," she muttered. "No. **_**No.**_**"**

**She started to cry, and **

"And this is where Beckendorf comes in! He hugs her, and says – I'll never leave you alone. Silena stares at him in astonishment", Aphrodite began

"Cue romantic music in the background", Dionysus added. He **was** the god of theatre after all. The gods weren't too shocked but the demigods were gaping open mouthed. They didn't know Mr.D would be interested in something like this!

"Yeah! And then Silena stares at him, hugs him, smacks him on the arm and exclaims – You idiot! You scared me SO much! Beckendorf grins and leans in to kiss her –

"And they just finish the quick kiss and don't go in for a full make out session in front of all of us", Percy finished, wincing.

"Humph. Whatever. Then make the kiss soft, slow and sweet"

Ares rolled his eyes. Sure, Aphrodite was gorgeous and being the goddess of love, great at fulfilling his… man needs, but this part of her was annoying.

**the rest of us stood around, too stunned to speak. **

**We'd already lost so many people over the summer, but this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stole the anchor for the entire camp.**

"I guess he's really well liked by everyone", Hera said softly. She wasn't one for heroes but this one seemed exceptionally great.

**Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward. She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever – a daughter of the war of god and a daughter of the love goddess – but ever since Silena had given Clarisse advice last summer about her first boyfriend, Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard.**

"That's what it should be like between you three", said Hera. "Aphrodite and Hephaestus should spend time on their relationship. Pretend you're dating if not comfortable with marriage. And as for Ares, son, you should be just a friend for her", she advised. _'Lets make this marriage work', _she thought to herself.

Aphrodite seemed to consider this. Hera actually was right. She realized that ugly as Hephaestus was, she actually _did _like being around him, and she knew he hated her for hurting him so much. Otherwise, he did truly love her, not for her looks or skill in bed – unlike his brother and all the other gods, Hermes, Poseidon, Dionysus, etc. who'd fallen for her looks. Her decision was made. She turned to Ares.

"Ares", she said sweetly.

"Yeah babe?" the war god asked.

"I'm dumping you", she replied.

Ares looked shocked and angry. "Why?" he growled.

"'Cause you don't really love me and you know it", she replied calmly.

Ares shrugged, unaffected. "You're the most beautiful woman there is"

"That's the point!" Aphrodite exclaimed exasperatedly. "You all – Poseidon, Hermes, Dionysus, most of my mortal lovers, you all only love me for my looks. Do you think I'm a slut or something? Just because I'm in love with love doesn't mean all I want is sex and making out and stuff! That's what you all seem to think. What you forget is that I am the goddess of love, not lust. People believe I'm more of a lust goddess than love goddess, but no sir, that is so **not** true! I want true love, and the only person who loves me truly happens to be Hephaestus! So I want no one else other than him!" she finished, slightly breathless. "If he accepts me after how much I've hurt him", she added quietly.

Everyone looked shocked at this outburst. Each and every person present around the table respected her a million times more than they used to, which is next to nothing. Aphrodite really wasn't that bad after all…

"Well, we can try what _mother _suggested", Hephaestus replied, smiling grudgingly.

Aphrodite squealed and hugged him tight. Everyone smiled, Hera especially. _'Mission Accomplished!'_ she thought.

Ares was sulking, scooting away from his ex-girlfriend as much as possible.

Percy looked at his dad, shocked.

'_You and Aphrodite…' _he trailed off.

Poseidon smiled sheepishly. _'We gave birth to Rhode – wife of Helios'_

'_Okay'_, Percy tried shutting him out, not wanting to see the scenes that his father was remembering of the night they – yeah lets not go into the details.

**Clarisse was dressed in her blood red combat armor, her brown hair tucked into a bandana. She was as big and beefy as a rugby player, with a permanent scowl on her face, but she spoke gently to Silena.**

Ares cheered up at the description of his daughter.

**"Come on, girl," she said. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."**

"I never thought a daughter of Ares could be gentle", Artemis muttered.

**Everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to the cabins. Nobody was excited to see me now. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown-up ship.**

"Why do you always state the obvious", asked Artemis, rolling her eyes.

"So that even the most stupid people can understand", Percy replied sarcastically.

Artemis glared at him. "Are you implying that I'm stupid?"

Percy gulped. "NO!" he exclaimed.

"That better be it, or I turn you into a jackalope", she threatened.

**Only Annabeth and Chiron stayed behind.**

**Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."**

"Me too", said Percy and Poseidon in unison.

"I'm not!" Dionysus groaned and Ares nodded his agreement. Poseidon and Annabeth shot them looks that would kill if looks actually **could** kill.

**"Thanks," I said. "Me too."**

**Chiron put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?"**

**I didn't want to go through it again, but I told them the story, including my dream about the Titans.**

**I left out the detail about Nico. Nico had made me promise not to tell anybody about his plan until I made up my mind and the plan was so scary I didn't mind keeping it a secret.**

"What the hell is your plan?" asked Thalia, exasperated.

"You'll see", Nico replied and smirked as she groaned.

**Chiron gazed down at the valley. "We must call a war council immediately, to discuss this spy, and other matters."**

**"Poseidon mentioned another threat," I said. "Something even bigger than the **_**Princess Andromeda**_**"**

"I don't like it", Zeus muttered.

"No one does", his wife replied.

**I thought it might be that challenge the Titan had mentioned in my dream."**

**Chiron and Annabeth exchanged looks, like they knew something I didn't. I hated when they did that.**

"Sorry", Annabeth grinned.

**"We will discuss that also," Chiron promised.**

**"One more thing." I took a deep breath. "When I talked to my father, he said to tell you it's time. I need to know the full prophecy."**

**Chiron's shoulders sagged, but he didn't look surprised. "I've dreaded this day. Very well. Annabeth, we will show Percy the truth – all of it. Let's go to the attic."**

Percy looked horrified and anxious. The tension in the room was very high. The gods had heard it many times. Annabeth still had nightmares about it. How would Percy take it?

**I'd been to the Big House attic three times before, which was three times more than I wanted to.**

"I think everyone feels the same", Thalia replied.

Apollo frowned. "If only she would change bodies… I wonder what the matter is"

Hades looked guilty and Hermes' face was an ancient mask of sadness. Apollo made a mental note to not bring up the topic of the Oracle changing bodies because it upset Hermes and reminded him of May Castellan.

**A ladder led up from the top of the staircase. I wondered how Chiron was going to get up there, being half horse and all, but he didn't try.**

**"You know where it is," he told Annabeth. "Bring it down, please."**

**Annabeth nodded. "Come on, Percy."**

**The sun was setting outside, so the attic was even darker and creepier than usual.**

"Is that even possible?" asked Percy.

"Apparently yeah", Thalia pointed out.

**Old hero trophies were stacked everywhere – dented shields, pickled heads in jars from various monsters, a pair of fuzzy dice on a bronze plaque that read: **_**STOLEN FROM CHRUSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC, BY GUS, SON OF HERMES, 1988.**_

Hermes brightened up at this little piece of information.

**I picked up a curved bronze sword so badly bent it looked like the letter 'M'. I could still see green stains on the metal from the magical poison that used to cover it.**

**The tag was dated last summer. It read: **_**Scimitar of Kampê, destroyed in the Battle of the Labyrinth.**_

Annabeth shuddered. It had been a bad memory, except…

**"You remember Briares throwing those boulders?" I asked. Annabeth gave me a grudging smile. "And Grover causing a Panic?"**

"That was awesome", Apollo stated. Almost all the gods nodded, Zeus a little grudgingly.

**We locked eyes. I thought of a different time last summer, under Mount St. Helens, when Annabeth thought I was going to die and she kissed me.**

"YOU DID WHAT?" Athena screeched as the table started hooting and cheering. Annabeth and Percy blushed tomato red.

"I thought he was going to die!" Annabeth defended. Athena read her mind and sat back down, her father's hand restraining her from getting up and ripping Percy's body into shreds.

"It better not happen again", she said through clenched teeth. "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Annabeth winced at her mother's volume. "Yeah", she replied, rolling her eyes.

Percy was slinking lower and lower into his seat. Nico smirked and pulled him up.

"Scaredy cat", he teased.

"You'd be too if an all-powerful goddess wanted to kill you in the cruelest way possible", Percy muttered.

"Good point", Nico noted.

**She cleared her throat and looked away. "Prophecy."**

**"Right." I put down the scimitar. "Prophecy."**

"And no distractions. Otherwise Artemis and I have been talking about Annabeth's future as a huntress", Athena warned.

Artemis nodded. "She does have the spirit of a true huntress"

"NO!" Annabeth screeched while Percy looked just as scared as he'd felt when he thought Annabeth was going to join the Hunters of Artemis.

Satisfied that she had given them some serious food for thought, Athena settled back into her throne comfortably.

**We walked over to the window. On a three-legged stool sat the Oracle – a shriveled female mummy in a tie-dyed dress.** **Tufts of black hair clung to her skull. Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face. Just looking at her made my skin crawl.**

Everyone shuddered. "She sounds freaky", said Artemis.

Instead of being insulted, Apollo stared at her in amazement.

"What?" she asked, self consciously.

"Sis! You used a slang word! Freaky is slang for frightening!" Apollo exclaimed.

"I did NOT!" she shouted.

Everyone grinned, and then groaned at Apollo's next sentence.

"I feel a Haiku coming on! Wait! Listen –

My sister used slang  
>My influence rubbing off<br>I totally rock"

"That's pathetic!" Artemis complained.

"No it isn't!" Apollo whined. "Who agrees with me?" he asked eagerly.

Everyone looked away. He pouted childishly and Thalia's heart melted.

'_Argh!' _she groaned to herself.

**If you wanted to leave camp during the summer, it used to be you had to come out here to get a quest. This summer that rule had been tossed. Campers left all the time on combat missions.** **We had no choice if we wanted to stop Kronos.**

The gods grimaced.

**Still, I remembered too well the strange green mist – the Spirit of the Oracle – that lived inside the mummy. She looked lifeless now, but whenever she spoke a prophecy, she moved.**

"You can't forget it", Apollo chuckled and Hermes shivered. _May…_

**Sometimes fog gushed out of her mouth and created strange shapes. Once, she'd even left the attic and taken a little zombie stroll into the woods to deliver a message.**

"AWESOME!" Apollo exclaimed loudly, almost deafening everyone.

**I wasn't sure what she'd do for the "Great Prophecy." I had expected her to start tap dancing or something.**

Apollo and Hermes doubled up laughing.

"That'll be hilarious!" Hermes exclaimed.

Apollo was too busy laughing to nod.

**But she just sat there like she was dead – which she was.**

"Percy", said Athena, slowly, pronouncing each sound clearly as if he were stupid – and to her he was.

"Yes?" Percy asked gingerly.

"Are you stupid?" she asked bluntly, and Annabeth and Thalia giggled.

"Um…"

"Can you give me a logical explanation for why a dead person would _not _look dead?"

"I didn't say that…"

"Then why do you state the obvious all the time as if you're explaining to someone who's an idiot?"

Percy gulped. "Because I'm such an idiot and I don't know that everyone doesn't have the same low IQ as me but I'm too stupid to understand and so –

Athena nodded, satisfied. "I just wanted to make you realize this"

The girls giggled and everyone else with the exception of Poseidon snickered. Percy felt humiliated. A goddess had sort of ragged him, but he couldn't protest. Too much was at stake.

**"I never understood this, I whispered.**

**"What?" Annabeth asked.**

**"Why it's a mummy."**

"I wish I knew", Apollo said wistfully and Hermes put his head in his hands. _May…_

The gods were beginning to notice how uncomfortable Hades looked when the topic was brought up.

**"Percy, she didn't used to be a mummy. For thousands of years the spirit of the Oracle lived inside a beautiful maiden.** **The spirit would be passed on from generation to generation. Chiron told me **_**she**_** was like that fifty years ago." Annabeth pointed at the mummy. "But she was the last."**

**"What happened?"**

**Annabeth started to say something, then apparently changed her mind. "Let's just do our job and get out of here."**

Hades looked at Annabeth quizzically. "Do you know?"

Annabeth's voice was so quiet everyone had to strain to hear her. "I had a dream"

Everyone else was curious.

"What happened?" Apollo asked her urgently.

"If the book doesn't tell you, I'll tell you guys later"

Everyone groaned.

**I looked nervously at the Oracle's withered face. "So what now?"**

**Annabeth approached the mummy and held out her palms. "O Oracle, the time is at hand. I ask for the Great Prophecy."**

**I braced myself, but the mummy didn't move. Instead Annabeth approached and unclasped one of its necklaces. I'd never paid too much attention to its jewelry before.** **I figured it was just hippie love beads and stuff.**

"HIPPIE LOVE BEADS!" Apollo thundered and everyone else were laughing hard.

**But when Annabeth turned toward me, she was holding a leather pouch – like a Native American medicine pouch on a cord braided with feathers.**

**She opened the bag and took out a roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky.**

"What the Hades?" Percy exclaimed.

"THAT is what we've been soo eager for?" Nico burst out.

Everyone else chuckled, some a little nervous.

**"No way," I said. "You mean all these years, I've been asking about this stupid prophecy and it's been right there around her neck?"**

**"The time wasn't right," Annabeth said. "Believe me, Percy, I read this when I was ten years old, and I still have nightmares about it."**

"I'm glad this isn't me", Thalia shuddered.

"Lucky bitch", Percy murmured under her breath, and Thalia smirked.

**"Great," I said. "Can I read it now?"**

**"Downstairs at the war council," Annabeth said. "Not in front of... you know."**

**I looked at the glassy eyes of the Oracle, and I decided not to argue. We headed downstairs to join the others.**

"She isn't that bad…" Apollo said unconvincingly.

**I didn't know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic.**

"That doesn't sound good", Poseidon grimaced.

"Are you kidding?" Ares exclaimed.

"That's the best news I've heard all day! Maybe he'll die!" Dionysus added optimistically.

"Thanks", Percy replied sarcastically, heart heavy as lead.

**The senior counselors had gathered around the Ping-Pong table. Don't ask me why, but the rec room had become the camp's informal headquarters for war councils.**

A few people snickered.

**When Annabeth, Chiron and I came in, though, it looked more like a shouting match.** **Clarisse was still in full battle gear.**

Athena looked furious. "They're fighting when they should be working together?" she exclaimed.

Everyone else grimaced.

**Her electric spear was strapped to her back. (Actually, her **_**second**_** electric spear, since I'd broken the first one. She called the spear "Maimer." Behind her back, everybody else called it "Lamer.") She had her boar-shaped helmet under on arm and had a knife at her belt.**

Ares glared at Percy. "I'll get you, Prissy"

**She was in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew,** **the new head counselor for Apollo, which looked kind of funny since Clarisse was a foot taller. **

The demigods and Apollo chuckled when they imagined this.

**Michael had taken over the Apollo cabin after Lee Fletcher died in battle last summer.**

"Lee…" Apollo silently mourned. After a short pause, Ares continued.

**Michael stood four feet six, with a pointy nose and scrunched-up features – either because he was scowling or because he spent too much time looking down the shaft of an arrow.**

**"It's **_**our**_** loot!" he yelled, standing on his tiptoes so he could get in Clarisse's face. "If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"**

"Kiss my quiver," Apollo repeated, laughing like a mad man.

"Oh man! That's so cool! Apollo, your son rocks!" Hermes laughed along with him. Everyone else but Ares were laughing too.

**Around the table, people were trying not to laugh – the Stoll brothers, Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, Katie Gardner from Demeter.**

**Even Jake Mason, the hastily appointed new counselor from Hephaestus, managed a faint smile.**

**Only Silena Beauregard didn't pay any attention. She sat beside Clarisse and stared vacantly at the Ping-Pong net. Her eyes were red and puffy. A cup of hot chocolate sat untouched in front of her.**

Aphrodite looked sad and Hephaestus put his huge arms around her petite frame.

**It seemed unfair that she had to be here. I couldn't believe Clarisse and Michael standing over her, arguing about something as stupid as loot, when she'd just lost Beckendorf.**

"I can't believe I agree with the punk"

**"STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?"**

**Clarisse glowered at me. "Tell Michael not to be a selfish jerk."**

Apollo looked indignant.

**"Oh, that's perfect, coming from you," Michael said.**

**"The only reason I'm here is to support Silena!" Clarisse shouted. "Otherwise I'd be back in my cabin."**

"Clarisse is loyal", said Artemis grudgingly.

**"What are you talking about?" I demanded.**

**Pollux cleared his throat. "Clarisse has refused to speak to any us, until her, um, issue is resolved. She hasn't spoken for three days."**

"Wow", Percy breathed and Ares glared.

**"It's been wonderful," Travis Stoll said wistfully.**

**"What issue?" I asked.**

**Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right? Does my cabin get what we want or not?"**

"That's no way to talk!" Demeter exclaimed. Ares began looking a little uncomfortable.

**Chiron shuffled his hooves. "My dear, as I've already explained, Michael is correct. Apollo's cabin has the best claim. Besides, we have more important matters –"**

"Much more important," Persephone nodded.

**"Sure," Clarisse snapped. "Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We're just supposed to show up and fight when you need us, and not complain?"**

"She's being extreme", Ares frowned.

**"That would be nice," Connor Stoll muttered.**

"That son of a bitch!" Ares bellowed.

"Watch what you say, asshole! His mother was amazing!" Hermes yelled.

"Apparently she didn't teach him to respect the children of the greatest warriors of all times", Ares retorted.

"Oh now you've had it bastard", Hermes growled and pounced at Ares. It was going to be dirty; everyone could see that, so Apollo, Poseidon, Hephaestus and Zeus pulled Hermes and Ares off each other. Athena and Ares traded places so that Zeus could control Ares in case he got off hand.

**Clarisse gripped her knife. "Maybe I should ask Mr. D –"**

**"As you know," Chiron interrupted his tone slightly angry now,**

"Chiron's angry", said Persephone, impressed. "It takes a lot for that to happen"

**"Our director, Dionysus, is busy with the war. He can't be bothered with this."**

"Like I'd care even if I was free", Dionysus snorted.

Ares glared at him and opened his mouth to yell out insults but Zeus zapped him with a few thousand volts of electricity and Ares slumped in his seat.

**"I see," Clarisse said. "And the senior counselors? Are **_**any**_** of you going to side with me?"**

**Nobody was smiling now. None of them met Clarisse's eyes.**

**"Fine." Clarisse turned to Silena. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get into this when you've just lost... Anyway, I apologize. To **_**you**_**. Nobody else."**

"She finally understood", said Thalia disbelievingly.

**Silena didn't seem to register her words.**

**Clarisse threw her knife on the Ping-Pong table. "All of you can fight this war without Ares. Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."**

There was silence in the room.

"She can't do that!" Percy exclaimed finally. "We'll be crushed!"

"How could she say that? Especially after Silena lost Beckendorf", Annabeth said angrily.

"I'll talk sense into her", Ares muttered.

**The counselors were all too stunned to say anything as Clarisse stormed out of the room.**

**Finally Michael Yew said, "Good riddance."**

"Are you kidding?" Demeter exclaimed. "This is a disaster!"

**"Are you kidding?" Katie Gardner protested. "This is a disaster!"**

"Like mother, like daughter", said Hades.

"Not me though", Persephone stated. Demeter scowled.

**"She can't be serious," Travis said. "Can she?"**

"I hope she isn't", Artemis muttered.

**Chiron sighed. "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down eventually." But he didn't sound convinced.**

**I wanted to ask what the heck Clarisse was so mad about, but I looked at Annabeth and she mouthed the words **_**I'll tell you later.**_

**"Now," Chiron continued, "if you please, counselors. Percy has brought something I think you should hear. Percy – the Great Prophecy."**

Percy shivered. Honestly, he was terrified. Everyone who knew the Prophecy was anxious to see how he would react.

**Annabeth handed me the parchment. It felt dry and old, and my fingers fumbled with the string. I uncurled the paper, trying not to rip it,** **and began to read:**

**"**_**A half-blood of the eldest dogs…'**_

"WHAT?", the Big Three thundered.

"Mistake", Percy replied in a small voice.

**"Er, Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's**_** gods. **_**Not**_** dogs."**_

The rest of the gods snickered.

**"Oh, right," I said. Being dyslexic is one mark of a demigod, but sometimes I really hate it. The more nervous I am, the worse my reading gets.**

_**'A half-blood of the eldest gods…  
>Shall reach sixteen against all odds…'<strong>_

**I hesitated, staring at the next lines. A cold feeling started in my fingers as if the paper was freezing.**

_**'And see the world in endless sleep,**_

"Death", Hades groaned.

"Not so fast, Uncle", said Athena. "It could mean what the sentence says. The world could be in endless sleep"

"Morpheus could do that", Hestia supplied.

_**The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.'**_

Percy, Poseidon and Annabeth looked horrified. Everyone else with the exception of Dionysus and Ares didn't look too happy either.

"The hero doesn't have to be you, Percy", Apollo tried to comfort him. "My oracle has many double meanings".

"Thanks, Apollo", Percy said, grateful for the god's concern, but honestly he didn't feel better.

**Suddenly Riptide seemed heavier in my pocket. A cursed blade? Chiron once told me Riptide had brought many people sorrow. Was it possible my own sword could get me killed?**

"Or maybe its Kronos' scythe", said Hera hopefully.

"That's possible", Athena mused.

**And how could the world fall into endless sleep, unless that meant death?**

"Morpheus, as I said", Hestia replied.

**"Percy," Chiron urged. "Read the rest."**

**My mouth felt like it was full of sand, but I spoke the last two lines.**

_**'A single choice shall end his days.**_

Everyone was silent.

"The hero doesn't have to be you", Apollo repeated, almost pleadingly.

_**Olympus to per – pursue –"**_

"Preserve", Annabeth corrected gently.

**"**_**Preserve**_**," Annabeth said gently. "It means to **_**save."**_

**"I know what it means," I grumbled. "**_**Olympus to preserve or raze."**_

"Well", Athena started. "Here's my interpretation. A half blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. That's Percy. And see the world in endless sleep. My guess is, that if we fall, it means death. If we don't, it actually means a kind of curse Morpheus has put on the world. A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap". Here, Athena paused. "I know it doesn't sound too optimistic, but I've skimmed through the names of the chapters. The last one is – 'We say goodbye – sort of'. The sort of is a bit optimistic. Maybe you lived, Percy. Maybe the hero was someone else"

"Yeah", Percy mumbled, unconvinced. Athena sighed.

"The cursed blade sounds more like Kronos' scythe than Riptide", she continued. "A single choice shall end his days, well that's pretty clear, the hero's choice will kill him. Olympus to preserve or raze. His death will preserve Olympus, and his living will destroy it", she finished quietly.

Everyone was silent.

"You know", said Thalia. "Percy's death preserving Olympus only makes sense if Percy falls into a trap and helps Kronos, but I know Percy would never do that", she finished firmly.

"I agree", Nico and Annabeth chorused. Poseidon nodded too. "I have full faith in my son".

The rest of the gods looked uncomfortable. Power was a huge thing. It could make even the most selfless person greedy.

"Percy", said Athena gently. "The last two chapter names are – I am dumped and We say goodbye – sort of. Maybe you fell into Kronos' trap and Annabeth and you broke up and said goodbye forever…"

Everyone was quiet. Athena made sense.

Percy went mad. "Alright then!" he yelled. "What are you going to do? Kill me then! Save Olympus! Kill me so that the stupid prophecy doesn't come true".

"No!" Annabeth, Thalia, Nico and Poseidon exclaimed.

"There's no need – yet", said Athena. "It is probable that this is Kronos' trick"

Apollo was indignant. _It_ _wasn't Kronos' trick!_

"And if so, maybe he wants us to kill you so we lose the war. And even if this book is really the future, then it doesn't **have **to be this. You don't have to be the hero. I could be wrong"

Percy laughed hysterically. "Yeah, the goddess of wisdom thinks she's wrong. Ironic, isn't it!"

Everyone grimaced and Athena would've attacked him with owls had she not felt so bad for the boy at the moment.

"Percy", Annabeth pleaded softly. She took his face in her hands and for once, Athena just pursed her lips into a straight line and shut up.

He softened under her touch. "I trust you", she said. "I know you wont be the reason for Olympus' fall, if they fall at all. I know we'll be victorious, all because of you".

She smiled at him gently and pulled him into her arms.

"Thank you", he whispered, comforted by her trust in him.

"We're with you", Thalia said and Nico nodded. "Yeah Perce, I believe you"

Percy grinned. "Thanks guys".

"Don't mention it"

**The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?"**

**"Not**_** raise**_**," Silena said. Her voice was hollow, but I was startled to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means **_**destroy**_**."**

**"Obliterate," Annabeth said. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble."**

**"Got it." My heart felt like lead. "Thanks."**

**Everybody was looking at me – with concern, or pity, or maybe a little fear.**

"Fear? Nah", Hera snorted.

**Chiron closed his eyes as if he were saying a prayer. In horse form, his head almost brushed the lights in the rec room.**

**"You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the whole prophecy? You've had enough on your shoulders –"**

**"Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyways?" I said. "Yeah, I get it."**

"Percy", said Annabeth, holding his hand. "Be brave please. For me".

The last two words had him trying to hold himself together. For her. He'd do it for her.

**Chiron gazed at me sadly. The guy was three thousand years old. He'd seen hundreds of heroes die. He might not like it, but he was used to it. He probably knew better than to try to reassure me.**

"I can sympathize", said Persephone. "I've seen googols of dead people"

"That's why you shouldn't have married that jerk", Demeter scolded.

Persephone rolled her eyes.

**"Percy," Annabeth said. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean you die."**

"You won't die", she said convincingly, daring anyone to say otherwise. And with her trust, no one could doubt it.

**"Sure," I said. "**_**A single choice shall end his days.**_** That has tons of meanings, right?**

**"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offered.**

"You can't stop a prophecy", Apollo said sadly, shaking his head.

**"**_**The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.**_** Maybe we could find the cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos's scythe, right?"**

"Yeah", Athena nodded. "But its kind of hard to find Kronos' scythe and destroy it. Still, if it's the cursed blade that kills Percy – **if ** he dies, then we'll form a strategy to destroy it.

**I hadn't thought about that, but it didn't matter if the cursed blade was Riptide or Kronos's scythe. Either way, I doubted we could stop the prophecy.**

**A blade was supposed to reap my soul. As a general rule, I preferred not to have my soul reaped.**

There were a few chuckles.

"You're cute when you're scared", Annabeth chuckled and kissed his cheek without thinking. Athena glared but said nothing. Percy smiled.

**"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines," Chiron said. "He needs time –"**

**"No." I folded up the prophecy and shoved it into my pocket. I felt defiant and angry, though I wasn't sure who I was angry with. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"**

"You don't change", said Artemis, but she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

**Annabeth hands were shaking a little. She wouldn't meet my eyes.**

**"Let's move on," I said. "We've got other problems. We've got a spy."**

"Nice way to break it", Ares grunted.

"Aww, give him a break. He's had a hard time", Aphrodite defended.

**Michael Yew scowled. "A spy?"**

**I told them what had happened on the **_**Princess Andromeda**_** – how Kronos had known we were coming, how he'd shown me the silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp.**

**Silena started to cry again and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders.**

**"Well," Connor Stoll said uncomfortably, "We've suspected there might be a spy for years, right?** **Somebody kept passing information to Luke – like the location of the Golden Fleece a couple of years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well."**

"Not necessarily", said Hermes.

**Maybe subconsciously, he glanced at Annabeth. She'd known Luke better than anyone, of course, but Connor looked away quickly. "Um, I mean, it could be anybody."**

"No way! Not me!" Annabeth exclaimed, indignantly.

"I trust you", Percy soothed. That was enough to calm her.

**"Yes." Katie Gardner frowned at the Stoll brothers. She'd disliked them ever since they'd decorated the grass roof of the Demeter cabin with chocolate Easter bunnies.**

"Free chocolate on my cabin! Man, I'd love it!" Nico grinned.

**"Like one of Luke's siblings."**

"Its not them", Hermes said with an air of finality. No one said anything. They didn't want to hurt him more.

**Travis and Connor both started arguing with her.**

**"Stop!" Silena banged the table so hard her hot chocolate spilled. "Charlie's dead and... and you're all arguing like little kids!" She put her head down and began to sob.**

"They need lessons in sensitivity", Aphrodite murmered.

"Maybe you could talk to them", Hephaestus suggested.

She looked unsure. "I don't know… No one really respects me. And I don't know how to tell them"

"I'll help", Hephaestus volunteered. Aphrodite smiled charmingly.

**Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everybody looked ashamed. "She's right," Pollux said at last. "Accusing each other doesn't help.**

"A son of Dionysus is intelligent", said Persephone wonderingly. Dionysus glared.

**We need to keep our eyes open for a sliver necklace with a scythe charm. If Kronos had one, the spy probably does too."**

**Michael Yew grunted. "We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the **_**Princess Andromeda**_** won't stop Kronos forever."**

"Add to the list – eliminate the spy once we know who he or she is", Athena said almost robotically.

**"No indeed," Chiron said. "In fact his next assault is already on the way."**

**I scowled. "You mean the 'bigger threat' Poseidon mentioned?"**

**He and Annabeth looked at each other like, **_**it's time.**_** Did I mention I hate it when they do that?**

"Yeah, you did", Annabeth grinned.

**"Percy," Chiron said, "we didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your… mortal friends."**

Percy felt Annabeth stiffen next to him.

**Annabeth blushed. It dawned on me that she I'd been hanging out with Rachel, and I felt guilty.** **Then I felt angry that I felt guilty. I was allowed to have friends outside camp, right? It wasn't like…**

"Like she owns you", Aphrodite chuckled. Ares was still sour about their break up and in no mood for her giggles so he continued reading.

**"Tell me what's happened," I said.**

**Chiron picked up a bronze goblet from the snack table. He tossed water onto the hot plate were he usually melted nacho cheese. Steam billowed up, making a rainbow in the fluorescent lights.**

**Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat."**

"The _threat_ is such an understatement", Persephone muttered.

**The mist shimmered. I saw the familiar image of a smoldering volcano – Mount St. Helens. As I watched, the side of the mountain exploded. Fire, ash, and lava rolled out.**

**A newscaster's voice was saying "- **_**even larger than last year's eruption, and geologists warn that the mountain may not be done."**_

**I knew about last year's eruption. I'd caused it.**

Annabeth winced at the memory of how much she'd cried when she thought Percy was gone forever.

Percy's mind travelled back to the time spent with Calypso, and it dawned on him that he didn't want to be back there. Not if he had to leave Annabeth's hand, her side, her company.

'_I guess I do like her'_, he thought.

**But this explosion was much worse. The mountain tore itself apart, collapsing inward, and an enormous form rose out of the smoke and lava like it was emerging from a manhole.**

**I hoped the Mist would keep the humans from seeing it clearly,** **because what I saw would've caused panic and riots across the entire United States.**

"Even though they can't see it clearly, it is causing panic, riots, and death", Hades groaned at the last word. "You wouldn't believe how hard the Underworld would be to manage!"

Most people rolled their eyes or snorted.

**The giant was bigger than anything I'd ever encountered. Even my demigod eyes couldn't make out its exact form through the ash and fire, but it was vaguely humanoid and so huge it could have used the Chrysler Building as a baseball bat.**

**The mountain shook with a horrible rumbling, as if the monster was laughing.**

**"It's him," I said. "Typhon."**

"You got that right", Demeter muttered.

**I was seriously hoping Chiron would say something good, like **_**No, that's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us!**_

Everyone was laughing hard at that statement.

"Oh my, Percy! 'That's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us!' You're nuts!" Annabeth giggled.

Percy smiled. He was happy he made her giggle.

**But no such luck. He simply nodded. "The most horrible monster of all, the biggest single threat the gods ever face. He has been freed under the mountain at last.** **But this scene is from two days ago.**

"WHAT!" everyone exclaimed.

_**Here**_** is what is happening today." Chiron waved his hand and the image changed. I saw a bank of storm clouds rolling across the Midwest plains.** **Lightning flickered. Lines of tornadoes destroyed everything in their path – ripping up houses and trailers, tossing cars around like Matchbox toys.**

"Oh shit!" Thalia exclaimed.

_**"Monumental floods," **_**an announcer was saying. "**_**Five states declared disaster areas as the freak storm system sweeps east, continuing its path of destruction." **_**The cameras zoomed in on a column of storm bearing down on some Midwest City.**

"Freak storms!" Artemis exclaimed, shaking her head. "Mortals and their imaginations"

**I couldn't tell which one. Inside the storm I could see the giant – just small glimpses of his true form: a smoky arm, a dark clawed hand the size of a city block.**

"You're better off not seeing the whole of his true form", Poseidon muttered.

**Other smaller forms darted through the clouds, circling the monster.**

"Us", Zeus realized.

**I saw flashes of light, and I realized the giant was trying to swarm them. I squinted and thought I saw a golden chariot flying into the blackness.**

"Me", Apollo announced.

**The some kind of huge bird – a monstrous owl – dived in to attack the giant.**

"Athena's attack"

**"Are those… the gods?" I said.**

**"Yes, Percy," Chiron said. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhoon is marching forward – toward New York. Toward Olympus."**

"We can't defend Olympus if we're fighting here", said Athena. "Especially with Poseidon fighting his battle and Hades not participating", she paused to glare at him.

"I will help. I don't hold a grudge against you all anymore", said Hades simply.

Zeus smiled. "That'll be helpful. If we could help Poseidon, he'd help too. We need him"

"I'll try", Poseidon grimaced.

**I let that sink in. "How long until he gets here?"**

**"Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there... except your father, who has a war of his own to fight."**

**"But then who's guarding Olympus?"**

"You will have to", Hestia grimaced. "I will help you"

**Connor Stoll shook his head. "If Typhoon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."**

**I thought about Kronos's words on the ship: **_**I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus.**_ **Was this what he was talking about: an attack by Typhon?**

"No", said Annabeth. "This is too obvious for him. He always distracts us. Typhon simply can't be the way he'd destroy us"

**It was sure terrifying enough. But Kronos was always following us, misdirecting our attention. This seemed too obvious for him. And in my dreams, the golden Titan had talked about several more challenges to come, as if Typhon were only the first.**

"Annabeth's stuffing some brain into him", Athena grinned.

**"It's a trick," I said. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen."**

**Chiron looked at me gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not."**

"He needs to be open to possibilities", Persephone sighed.

**"We have to defend Olympus," I insisted. "Kronos has another attack planned."**

**"He did," Travis Stoll reminded me, "But you sunk his ship."**

"Lets see what happens and not comment", said Athena before anyone could say anything. "Ares, read".

**Everyone was looking at me. They wanted some good news. They wanted to believe that at least I'd give them a little bit of hope.**

"Percy, Percy, Percy", Artemis sighed. "You flatter yourself"

He ignored her.

**I glanced at Annabeth.** **I could tell we were thinking the same thing: What if the **_**Princess Andromeda**_** was a ploy?**

"Then Beckendorf's supposed death was useless", said an angry Aphrodite.

Hephaestus shook his head. "No. He died a hero. He did so to help us. And he will not die"

**What if Kronos **_**let**_** us blow up the ship so we'd lower our guard? But I wasn't going to say that in front of Silena. Her boyfriend had sacrificed himself for that mission.**

Athena looked at Percy critically. He _did _have a good heart. Maybe… if he was worthy, then Annabeth and him could be possible…

**"Maybe you're right," I said, though I didn't believe it.**

**I tried to imagine how things could get much worse. The gods were in the Midwest fighting a huge monster that had almost defeated them once before.**

**Poseidon was under siege and losing a war against the sea Titan Oceanus.**

**Kronos was still out there somewhere. Olympus was virtually undefended. The demigods of Camp Half-Blood were on our own with a spy in our midst.**

Everyone sighed.

"Don't worry", said Athena firmly. "I'll make a strategy that'll work"

**Oh, and according to the ancient prophecy, I was going to die when I turned sixteen – which happened to be in five days, the exact same time Typhoon was supposed to hit New York. Almost forgot that.**

"And save Percy", she added quietly.

**"Well," Chiron said, "I think that's enough for the night."**

Percy snorted. "_Enough_", he said sarcastically.

**He waved his hand and the steam dissipated. The stormy battle of Typhoon and the gods disappeared.**

**"That's an understatement," I muttered.**

**And the war council adjourned.**

Ares closed the book and Athena took it.

"Excuse me please", she said. "I plan to formulate a strategy. Why don't you all eat?"

Everyone else nodded.

"Sounds good. Okay then everyone – lunch time!" Zeus announced.

Everyone but Athena filed out of the room into the majestic dining pavilion.

"I must do something", Athena muttered as she began reading.

* * *

><p>The titan sighed. His power was being drained by monitoring the council. He couldn't do it anymore. The cursed eagles eating his liver were too much to handle. He heard the voices of the other Titans coming towards him.<p>

Promethus – the creator of man and titan of forethought dissolved the mist that showed him how his plan was doing.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay you <strong>_**all**_** guessed right! I just didn't want to disclose this at the beginning of the chapter! **

**How was it?**

**Do you like the idea of 14 Olympians? And Aphrodite and Hephaestus? **

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Thanks a million for bearing with me!**

**You guys TOTALLY ROCK!**

**:D **

**~ITOR**


	5. We burn a metal shroud

**Hello people **

**How long has it been since I last updated?**

**I have a request to make though.**

**Guys, please read my other stories– So close, Yet so far and Love:Laughter:Change**

**DISCLAIMER: RICK RIORDIAN OWNS ONLY PERCY, ANNABETH, AND HIS OWN CHARACTERS. GREEK MYTHOLOGY IS NOT OWNED BY A SPECIFIC PERSON. THUS, I OWN MY CHARACTERS – ZEUS, HADES, POSEIDON, ETC (GREEK GODS) TOO. DON'T YOU DARE ARGUE!**

**NOTE: Thank you ****Anime Princess**** for the correction in the last chapter!**

_**PS: Please read the author's note at the end.**_

**I'd like to thank:**

**a) All the people who read this story**

**b) HermesPotter, r0si3e, luciangirl06, joe saint, International Girl, Kobra Kid96, Seventh Spanish Angel, prongslet25, 101EmilyRox, ChildoftheSeaGod,pihead08 and TempestCain for adding this story to your favourite story lists!**

**c) HermesPotter, r0si3e, luciangirl06, joe saint, Liljean15690, NivMizzet6977, prongslet25, 101EmilyRox, omnomnomsmile and ChildoftheSeaGod for adding this story to your story alert lists!**

**d) My FANTABULOUS Reviewers!**

**HermesPotter: Oh okay! Gotcha!**

**chloexo: Woohoo! Haha yeah, Aphrodite gave a pretty cool lecture ;)**

**Animal Charmer 11: I know! That's what I was thinking! I was like – woah, am I going crazy that I'm loving writing Hephaestodite? (I made that one up, he he. I'm not awesome with cute names for couples, any suggestions?)  
>This chapter has even more Percabeth =D <strong>

**darklilyofthevalley: Yeah well, it is. I like Hephaestodite. Do you? :D lol actually, the guiltiness made Zeus feel good about his decision, but as you like it =)**

**music-crazed-girl-that-3-books: Thanks!**

**Anime Princess: Me toooo. This chapter has an AWESOME surprise for y'all :D **

**Gods, I pray she opens her eyes!**

**Mhmm… Aphrodite's showing a side of herself that we never knew of! Lets see what happens now =D  
>Hehe, I like Hephaestodite too =) They're kinda cute!<strong>

**Prometheus… yeah I wonder if Kronos is EVER going to find out about him… or if Prometheus will become power hungry? Lets see!**

**You're Sam :D I'm San xD (Random…? Uhh… I'm high 'cause your review rocks!)**

**PS: You're right. Ah well, never mind. I'll plan some cliffhangers and killer suspense in the future chapters :D You just wait xD **

**PPS: Thanks for the correction!**

**Martfer: Thanks! Keep reading!**

**Partin: Thanks!**

**TempestCain: Thanks! No, I haven't got one yet. Cool, I'll consider your offer. Thank you!**

**And now… (DRUM ROLL)**

**Time to thank…**

**HermesPotter and ChildoftheSeaGod for adding me to your AUTHOR ALERT list! :D wooohooo!**

**AND**

**joesaint and ChildoftheSeaGod for adding me to your AUTHOR ALERT AND FAVOURITE AUTHOR LISTS! **

**THANK YOU GUYS!**

**And now, the story! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Athena was sitting silently in her throne, eyes glued to the book. She was on the first page of the chapter – I sit on a hot seat, when everyone burst in, talking loudly amongst themselves. She looked up at them in irritation.<p>

"What's your problem?" asked Poseidon, annoyed with her.

"My problem is you. You all interrupted me when I was starting the seventeenth chapter!" she cried, exasperated.

"Holy Zeus!" Poseidon exclaimed. Zeus looked at them.

"You're on the seventeenth chapter! You read from the fourth to the sixteenth chapter in a matter of an hour?" he exclaimed in astonishment.

Everyone stared at her. She shrugged matter – of – factly. "I'm the goddess of wisdom"

Then she turned serious.

"I know who the spy is"

That caught everyone's attention.

"Who is it?" asked Annabeth urgently.

Athena grimaced.

"I'll tell you when the time is right"

Everyone groaned and took their seats.

"Who's reading?" Athena asked.

"I am", Hephaestus replied, taking the book and then winced at the chapter choice.

"**We Burn a Metal Shroud**", Hephaestus sighed. Aphrodite held his hand tightly.

**I dreamed Rachel Elizabeth Dare was throwing darts at my picture.**

"Oh, so now you're dreaming of her?" said Annabeth bitterly.

"Annabeth! For Olympus' sake, calm down! It's a freaking demigod dream! I cant control it okay? It's probably some important message! So just chill!" Percy burst out angrily.

Annabeth glared at him and shut up.

**She was standing in her room… Okay, back up. I have to explain that Rachel doesn't have a room.** **She has the top floor of her family's mansion, which is a renovated brownstone in Brooklyn.**

"Woah!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Awesome!" That was Nico.

**Her "room" is a huge loft with industrial lighting and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's about twice as big as my mom's apartment.**

"Its such a good comparison for someone who hasn't seen your mom's apartment", said Artemis rolling her eyes.

**Some alternative rock was blaring from her paint-covered Bose docking system. As far as I could tell, Rachel's only rule about music was that no two songs on her iPod could sound the same, and they all had to be strange.**

Apollo tutted. "Music isn't strange, Percy. You need to listen to more of it"

"Sorry dude, I didn't get time, what with fighting monsters and getting chucked out of school", Percy replied sarcastically.

"And your girl troubles", Hermes added, chuckling. Percy glared at him.

**She wore a kimono, and her hair was frizzy, like she'd been sleeping.**

"Who wears a kimono in the USA?" asked Thalia, confused.

**Her bed was messed up. Sheets hung over a bunch of artist's easels.**

**Dirty clothes and old energy bar wrappers were strewn around the floor, **

"She needs to learn to be hygienic", said Aphrodite disapprovingly.

**but when you've got a room that big, the mess doesn't look so bad.**

"I wish I had a room like that", said Percy wistfully.

"So that you could mess it up?" Thalia grinned.

He grinned back at her. "That's part of the reason"

**Out the windows you could see the entire nighttime skyline of Manhattan. The picture she was attacking was a painting of me standing over the giant Antaeus.**

**Rachel had painted it a couple of months ago. My expression in the picture was fierce - disturbing, even so it was hard to tell if I was the good guy or the bad guy, but Rachel said I'd looked just like that after the battle.**

"Looking back on it… you did have such an expression while fighting Ares", said Aphrodite thoughtfully.

Ares glared at her. "No way! He was shit scared!"

"I wasn't", Percy replied.

Before Ares could deliver one of his dramatic, dangerous threats, his brother continued.

"**Demigods," Rachel muttered as she threw another dart at the canvas.**

"You rock at making girls mad", Apollo chuckled.

"Give me a break!" Percy groaned.

"**And their stupid quests." Most of the darts bounced off, but a few stuck. One hung off my chin like a goatee.**

Everyone chuckled at that. Percy with a dart goatee would look funny.

**Someone pounded on her bedroom door. "Rachel!" a man shouted. "What in the world are you doing? Turn off that-" Rachel scooped up her remote control and shut off the music.**

"What the heck? Does no one have respect for music?" Apollo exclaimed.

"**Come in!" Her dad walked in, scowling and blinking from the light. He had rust-colored hair a little darker than Rachel's.** **It was smashed on one side like he'd lost a fight with his pillow.**

Everyone laughed at the mental image of a grown man fighting with his pillow.

"Percy", said Athena in the tone she used when she was implying that she's talking to someone stupid.

"Yeah?"

"He could've been sleeping"

"Oh…yeah"

"You didn't think of that, did you?"

"…No"

Athena smirked. He was an idiot.

**His blue silk pajamas had "WD" monogrammed on the pocket.**

**Seriously, who has monogrammed pajamas?**

"**What is going on?" he demanded. "It's three in the morning."**

"Kimono, loud music, at 3 am. This girl is weird", Persephone decided.

"She needs cereal", Demeter replied.

"Mom! Will you shut up?"

"Hmph. That isn't the way you talk to your mother"

"Whatever"

**"Couldn't sleep," Rachel said. On the painting, a dart fell off my face. Rachel hid the rest behind her back, but Mr. Dare noticed.**

**"So… I take it your friend isn't coming to St. Thomas?"**

"Yeah", Percy replied.

**That's what Mr. Dare called me. Never Percy. Just your friend. Or young man if he was talking to me, which he rarely did.**

"He's so cold", Hera said disapprovingly.

**Rachel knit her eyebrows. "I don't know."**

**"We leave in the morning," her dad said. "If he hasn't made up his mind yet-"**

**"He's probably not coming," Rachel said miserably.** "**Happy?"**

"Aww, her crush isn't coming", Apollo teased.

"Shut up, Apollo", Annabeth glared.

"I smell something burning", said Apollo.

"It smells like jealousy", Hermes added, playing along.

"And it comes from…" Apollo trailed off.

"There!" Hermes and Apollo exclaimed in unison, pointing at Annabeth.

"Shut up!" she screeched.

"Fine!" Apollo screeched back, mimicking her.

**Mr. Dare put his hands behind his back. He paced the room with a stern expression. I imagined he did that in the boardroom of his land development company and made his employees nervous.**

"**Are you still having bad dreams?" he asked. "Headaches?"**

**Rachel threw her darts on the floor. "I should never have told you about that."**

"About what?" asked Apollo.

" The visions she has. Her dreams are quite like demigod ones", Percy replied.

Apollo frowned. "That sounds like the Oracle"

"I hate her for not shifting bodies", Hermes scowled.

"It wasn't her fault", said Athena, giving a quick, pointed glance to Hades.

"You know?" Apollo asked.

Athena nodded.

"Its there in the book", she replied. "We'll read and find out"

Apollo and Hermes groaned.

"**I'm your father," he said. "I'm worried about you."**

"I doubt it", Hera scowled.

"**Worried about the family's reputation," Rachel muttered.**

"More like it"

**Her father didn't react-maybe because he'd heard that comment before, or maybe because it was true.**

"He doesn't deserve to be called a father"

Zeus tried calming his wife down.

"**We could call Dr. Arkwright," he suggested.** "**He helped you get through the death of your hamster."**

Artemis rolled her eyes. _Men. _So _not _understanding.

**"I was six then," She said.** "**And no, Dad, I don't need a therapist. I just…" She shook her head helplessly.**

**Her father stopped in front of the windows. He gazed at the New York skyline as if he owned it - which wasn't true. He only owned part of it.**

"**It will be good for you to get away," He decided. "You've had some unhealthy influences."**

"**I'm not going to Clarion Ladies Academy," Rachel said. And my friends are none of your business."**

"So get the Hades out of her life!" Nico exclaimed.

**Mr. Dare smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. It was more like, Someday you'll realize how silly you sound.**

"**Try to get some sleep," he urged. "We'll be at the beach by tomorrow night. It will be fun."**

"**Fun," Rachel repeated. "Lots of fun." **

"Her words drip with sarcasm", Apollo noted.

**Her father exited the room. He left the door open behind him.**

**Rachel stared at the portrait of me. Then she walked to the easel next to it, which was covered in a sheet.**

"**I hope they're dreams," she said. She uncovered the easel. On it was a hastily sketched charcoal, but Rachel was a good artist.** **The picture was definitely Luke as a young boy.**

**He was about nine years old, with a wide grin and no scar on his face. **

"How I long to see him like that…" Hermes wished out loud.

**I had no idea how Rachel could've known what he looked like back then, but the portrait was so good I had a feeling she wasn't guessing.**

Apollo frowned. She sounded like she could be the next Oracle. Curse Annabeth and Athena for keeping them in suspense!

**From what I knew about Luke's life (which wasn't much), the picture showed him just before he'd found out he was a half-blood and had run away from home.**

**Rachel stared at the portrait. Then she uncovered the next easel. This picture was even more disturbing. It showed the Empire State Building with lightning all around it. In the distance a dark storm was brewing, with a huge hand coming out of the clouds.**

**At the base of the building a crowd had gathered… But it wasn't a normal crowd of tourists and pedestrians. I saw spears, javelins, and banners the trappings of an army.**

"So it's confirmed", Athena stated. "You will be protecting Olympus"

"I thought that was confirmed?" Hades asked, confused.

"I was working out other possibilities, but this is what will happen"

"**Percy," Rachel muttered, as if she knew I was listening, **

"For some reason, I think she knew", said Apollo.

**"What is going on?"**

"I wish I knew", Percy replied to her question.

**The dream faded, and the last thing I remember was wishing I could answer her question. The next morning, I wanted to call her, but there were no phones at camp.** **Dionysus and Chiron didn't need a landline. They just called Olympus with an Iris-message whenever they needed something.**

**And when demigods use cell phones, the signals agitate every monster within a hundred miles. It's like sending up a flare: Here I am! Please rearrange my face!**

Everyone laughed.

"You're good at lightening up situations", Annabeth complimented.

"Thanks"

**Even within the safe borders of camp, that's not the kind of advertising we wanted to do. Most demigods (except for Annabeth and a few others) don't even own cell phones.**

**And I definitely couldn't tell Annabeth, "Hey, let me borrow your phone so I can call Rachel!"**

Annabeth pursed her lips. Maybe she _was _a little too jealous. Percy showed signs of liking her though… Well, she'd find out soon enough.

**To make the call, I would've had to leave camp and walk several miles to the nearest convenience store. Even if Chiron let me go, by the time I got there, Rachel would've been on the plane to St. Thomas. I ate a depressing breakfast by myself at the Poseidon table.**

"That rule sucks", Thalia stated.

"We can change it", Zeus suggested.

Everyone looked at Dionysus, who was drinking Diet Coke and looking bored.

"What? Okay fine I'll do it!"

The demigods cheered and Hephaestus continued.

**I kept staring at the fissure in the marble floor where two years ago Nico had banished a bunch of bloodthirsty skeletons to the Underworld.**

"I'm so awesome", Nico grinned.

"That's because you're my son", said Hades proudly.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

**The memory didn't exactly improve my appetite.**

"You're a wimp", Ares muttered.

**After breakfast, Annabeth and I walked down to inspect the cabins. Actually, it was Annabeth's turn for inspection. My morning chore was to sort through reports for Chiron. But since we both hated our jobs, we decided to do them together so it wouldn't be so heinous.**

"You sure that's the only reason?" Apollo asked, and he and Hermes snickered.

**We started at the Poseidon cabin, which was basically just me. I'd made my bunk bed that morning (well, sort of) and straightened the Minotaur horn on the wall, so I gave myself a four out of five.**

Annabeth made a face. "You're being too generous", she said, sticking out her tongue like a kid.

**Annabeth made a face.**

"**You're being generous." She used the end of her pencil to pick up an old pair of running shorts. I snatched them away.**

"Ugh", Persephone shuddered.

**"Hey, give me a break. I don't have Tyson cleaning up after me this summer."**

"You should rely on yourself", Artemis chided.

**"Three out of five," Annabeth said.**

"Should've been lower, but love makes people compromise", Aphrodite chuckled and winked at Annabeth, who glared at the goddess.

**I knew better than to argue, so we moved along. I tried to skim through Chiron's stack of reports as we walked.**

**There were messages from demigods, nature spirits, and satyrs all around the country, writing about the latest monster activity. They were pretty depressing, and my ADHD brain did not like concentrating on depressing stuff.**

"What the heck? We know we're all ADHD. Why do you have to point it out every second?" Thalia exclaimed, exasperated. Percy ignored her.

**Little battles were raging everywhere. Camp recruitment was down to zero. Satyrs were having trouble finding new demigods and bringing them to Half-Blood Hill because so many monsters were roaming the country.**

"That's bad", Zeus commented.

**Our friend Thalia,**

"Finally I come in!" Thalia exclaimed.

**who led the Hunters of Artemis,** **hadn't been heard from in months, and if Artemis knew what had happened to them, she wasn't sharing information.**

"They would've been fine, I don't hide information", said Artemis.

**We visited the Aphrodite cabin, which of course got a five out of five.** **The beds were perfectly made. The clothes in everyone's footlockers were color coordinated. Fresh flowers bloomed on the windowsills.**

**I wanted to dock a point because the whole place reeked of designer perfume,**

Ares snickered. "First time I agree with the punk"

**but Annabeth ignored me.**

"**Great job as usual, Silena, " Annabeth said. Silena nodded listlessly. The wall behind her bed was decorated with pictures of Beckendorf.**

"Aww", Aphrodite cooed.

**She sat on her bunk with a box of chocolates on her lap, and I remembered that her dad owned a chocolate store in the Village, which was how he'd caught the attention of Aphrodite.**

Aphrodite smiled. He was a good guy. Breaking his heart had been fun at that time… but it didn't sound good anymore. Aphrodite had changed; she was more mature than she had ever been. Her idea of love had changed too. And it definitely didn't mean breaking hearts like she used to. She felt a little ashamed that her daughter had understood love better than she had herself.

**"You want a bonbon?" Silena asked.** "**My dad sent them. He thought - he thought they might cheer me up."**

"**Are they any good?" I asked.**

**She shook her head. "They taste like cardboard."**

"They were always delicious!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

**I didn't have anything against cardboard, so I tried one.**

Hermes and Apollo snickered.

Hermes snapped his finger and there was a piece of cardboard in Percy's mouth.

"Bah!" Percy spat it out and stuck out his tongue. "Yuck!"

Everyone was laughing and Demeter made a bowl of cornflakes appear in front of him.

Desperate to get rid of the taste, Percy gulped it down and thanked the goddess.

Once everyone was done laughing, Hephaestus continued.

**Annabeth passed. We promised to see Silena later and kept going. **

"Thanks", Aphrodite smiled.

**As we crossed the commons area, a fight broke out between the Ares and Apollo cabins. **

"Gods, not over the freaking chariot!" Thalia exclaimed.

**Some Apollo campers armed with firebombs flew over the Ares cabin in a chariot pulled by two pegasi. I'd never seen the chariot before, but it looked like a pretty sweet ride. Soon, the roof of the Ares cabin was burning, and naiads from the canoe lake rushed over to blow water on it.**

Ares glared at Apollo.

**Then the Ares campers called down a curse, and all the Apollo kids' arrows turned to rubber. The Apollo kids kept shooting at the Ares kids, but the arrows bounced off.**

Now it was Apollo's turn to glare.

**Two archers ran by, chased by an angry Ares kid who was yelling in poetry: "Curse me, eh? I'll make you pay! / I don't want to rhyme all day!"**

Everyone but Ares laughed. It had to be funny.

**Annabeth sighed. "Not that again. Last time Apollo cursed a cabin, it took a week for the rhyming couplets to wear off."**

**I shuddered. Apollo was god of poetry as well as archery, and I'd heard him recite in person. I'd almost rather get shot by an arrow.**

"My poetry rocks!" Apollo defended. Everyone looked away. "Doesn't anyone agree with me?"

Thalia made the mistake of glancing at him. Her heart melted as easily as butter at his hurt expression.

"You guys suck", he said, pouting. A few people chuckled and Hephaestus continued.

"**What are they fighting about anyway?" I asked. Annabeth ignored me while she scribbled on her inspection scroll, giving both cabins a one out of five.**

**I found myself staring at her,**

Annabeth blushed slightly.

**which was stupid since I'd seen her a billion times. **

Thalia snorted. "You're an idiot, Percy"

**She and I were about the same height this summer, which was a relief.**

A few people chuckled.

Percy thought back to the time they had danced together for half a song at the Westover Hall Military Academy where they'd gone to rescue Bianca and Nico from Dr. Thorn the manticore. He sighed with relief. It had been embarrassing to see her taller than him.

**Still, she seemed so much more mature.**

"Because she's a _girl_", said Artemis, rolling her eyes.

"And because she's my daughter", Athena added.

**It was kind of intimidating.**

"You find me intimidating?" Annabeth asked, curious.

"Uhh…" said Percy intelligently.

"I got my answer", Annabeth smirked.

**I mean, sure, she'd always been cute,**

Annabeth blushed.

**but she was starting to be seriously beautiful.**

And she blushed even redder.

**Finally she said, "That flying chariot."**

"Oh!" Demeter exclaimed. "I'd forgotten what the topic actually was"

You need more cereal, mother. More Iron to keep your memory sharp", said Persephone sarcastically.

Demeter considered this seriously.

"You're right!" she exclaimed and Persephone face – palmed.

**"What?"**

**"You asked what they were fighting about."**

**"Oh. Oh, right."**

**"They captured it in a raid in Philadelphia last week. Some of Luke's demigods were there with that flying chariot. The Apollo cabin seized it during the battle, **

"So its ours!" Apollo exclaimed.

**but the Ares cabin led the raid. **

"Ours! 'Cause the raid was led by us, and 'cause I say so", Ares snarled menacingly.

"Oh yeah?" Apollo glared, heat emitting from his body.

As Ares tried to pounce at Apollo, a grapevine curled around his legs and pulled him down to the ground flat on his butt.

Everyone snickered and Ares glared at Dionysus.

"What's your problem?" Ares growled.

"Your fighting is boring", Dionysus replied, bored.

Before Ares could begin a fight with the Wine god, ten strong grapevines snaked around his waist, tying him tightly to his throne. They bound his hands and feet as well.

"DIONYSUS!" Ares bellowed, and found a bunch of grapes stuffed inside his mouth. The only way it would get out was if it would be eaten, but alas, the grapes were enchanted and would never finish, so Ares couldn't speak until Dionysus wanted him to.

"Good job", Zeus complimented and a glass of wine appeared in front of Dionysus.

The pudgy god stared at Zeus in wonder and then at the wine in glee and gulped it down rapidly. Everyone else laughed quietly.

**So they've been fighting about who gets it ever since."**

"I'll decide that later", Zeus decided so that Apollo wouldn't start jeering at the helpless war god.

**We ducked as Michael Yew's chariot dive-bombed an Ares camper. The Ares camper tried to stab him and cuss him out in rhyming couplets. He was pretty creative about rhyming those cuss words.**

The demigods snickered. Trust Ares campers to be able to do that.

"**We're fighting for our lives," I said, "and they're bickering about some stupid chariot."**

"Someone sensible!" Hestia exclaimed dramatically.

"**They'll get over it," Annabeth said. "Clarisse will come to her senses."**

"That doesn't sound like the Clarisse I know", said Percy doubtfully.

**I wasn't so sure. That didn't sound like the Clarisse I knew.**

**I scanned more reports and we inspected a few more cabins. Demeter got a four.**

Demeter smiled.

**Hephaestus got a three and probably should've gotten lower, but with Beckendorf being gone and all, we cut them some slack.**

"Thank you", said Hephaestus.

**Hermes got a two, which was no surprise. All campers who didn't know their godly parentage were shoved into the Hermes cabin, and since the gods were kind of forgetful, that cabin was always overcrowded.**

"Its not going to happen anymore", Hestia smiled, thinking about her soon to come cabin.

**Finally we got to Athena's cabin, which was orderly and clean as usual. **

Athena smiled.

**Books were straightened on the shelves. The armor was polished. Battle maps and blueprints decorated the walls. Only Annabeth's bunk was messy.**

Annabeth slapped her forehead. "Annabeth", Athena reprimanded.

"Sorry", she said, smiling sheepishly.

**It was covered in papers, and her silver laptop was still running.**

"Vlacas", Annabeth muttered.

**"Vlacas," Annabeth muttered, which was basically calling herself an idiot in Greek.**

"Wow, freaky", said Nico. "You don't change"

Annabeth smiled.

**Her second-in-command, Malcolm, suppressed a smile. "Yeah, um… We cleaned everything else. Didn't know if it was safe to move your notes."**

"Smart of Malcolm", Annabeth commented.

**That was probably smart.** **Annabeth had a bronze knife that she reserved just for monsters and people who messed with her stuff.**

Percy and Thalia chuckled and Annabeth grinned, wondering if she was seriously as fierce as Percy made her sound.

**Malcolm grinned at me. "We'll wait outside while you finish inspection."**

"You both are going to be alone in my cabin?" Athena asked, glaring daggers at Percy, who looked a little uneasy.

Aphrodite squealed.

**The Athena campers filed out the door while Annabeth cleaned up her bunk. I shuffled uneasily and pretended to go through some more reports. Technically, even on inspection, it was against camp rules for two campers to be… Like, alone in a cabin. That rule had come up a lot when Silena and Beckendorf started dating.**

"It's a stupid rule", Aphrodite complained.

"Not really", said Athena. "You never know when something might like… go wrong"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the campers are sensible enough to know they don't want kids that early"

"I doubt it", Dionysus muttered.

"We're sensible", Annabeth winced. Being a mother just now… even if it was Percy's kid… no, bad idea.

**And I know some of you might be thinking, aren't all demigods related on the godly side, and doesn't that make dating gross?**

"This addresses the people", Athena noted.

"Yeah… so?" Apollo asked.

"It sounds like a fiction book", she replied.

Apollo's eyes widened. "You think its out in the mortal world?"

Athena grimaced. "I don't know. Probably. Hermes, will you check?"

"Sure", said Hermes.

"Later though. This isn't a risk. Mortals will just assume this to be fiction", said Athena.

"Fiction", Percy muttered. "My life isn't fiction. Its freaking reality!"

"That's how we feel on being called a myth", Hades grumbled.

**But the thing is, the godly side of your family doesn't count, genetically speaking, since gods don't have DNA.** **A demigod would never think about dating someone who had the same godly parent.**

"Why not?" Aphrodite asked.

"Because we're siblings!", Annabeth exclaimed.

"Well… since the godly side of your family doesn't count, then it doesn't count here too. So, supposing you wanted to date Malcolm, it would've been okay because only the DNA of your fathers would count", Aphrodite exclaimed.

"Aphrodite", said Artemis sweetly. "You don't need to exercise your brain so much. Athena will explain to you some other time"

Aphrodite glared at her. Oh, how she hated Artemis!

"Actually", Athena pondered. "It's a good question"

Aphrodite smirked at a glaring Artemis.

"I'll tell you some other time", said Athena.

"Suure", Aphrodite drawled and Hephaestus chuckled.

**Like two kids from Athena cabin? No way. But a daughter of Aphrodite and a son of Hephaestus? They're not related. So it's no problem.** ** Anyway, for some strange reason I was thinking about this as I watched Annabeth straighten up.**

"For some strange reason", Thalia repeated sarcastically.

"I wonder, what could that strange reason be?" said Apollo, playing along.

"Perhaps…" Hermes trailed off, his long finger tapping his chin.

"Perhaps…" Nico repeated, grinning.

"Okay guys cut it out!" Percy exclaimed. "I get it! No strange reason! I know its clear, out for the world to see! I know you know that I know that I really do love Annabeth! Happy?"

Instantly, he regretted it. Athena was glaring murderously at him. It was all he could focus on. Aphrodite's squealing and a few other gods' and demigods' (*cough* Hermes, Apollo, Poseidon, Hestia, Thalia, Nico *cough*) cheering were just background noises.

And then he regretted regretting his words.

"Percy", Annabeth whispered softly.

Percy avoided her gaze. She tilted his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"Yeah?" Percy mumbled, looking anywhere but into her eyes.

"Do you mean it?" she asked.

He looked into her grey eyes. Yes, he meant it. He really did. He did love her.

"I do", he replied softly, his eyes locked with hers.

Annabeth felt like she was swimming in his sea green orbs. She felt completely lost in them.

Her arms locked around his neck the very same moment he tilted his head slightly.

She closed her eyes in anticipation, her heart racing, breath coming in short gasps.

His lips touched hers ever so softly and it was the happiest moment of Annabeth's life.

He kissed her tenderly, sweetly and passionately. She pulled away, breathless.

"I love you too", she whispered.

"PERCY JACKSON!" Athena screeched.

Immediately, Poseidon built a protective bubble around the young couple.

Annabeth looked at her mother calmly.

"Mom, you can't harm him", she said quietly. "I love him"

She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Athena continued glaring at her calm daughter. Finally, she sighed in defeat.

"Fine", she mumbled.

"What?" Percy exclaimed, surprised.

"I said fine", she repeated, glaring at him slightly. She sighed again.

"She loves you. I want her happy. You're a fine guy. You have my approval. Now shut up before I change my mind", Athena said grudgingly.

Percy smiled brilliantly. "Thank you", he said.

"Whatever", Athena mumbled. Zeus patted her shoulder.

"A wise decision, daughter", he said, smiling. He would never admit it, but he was beginning to grow fond of his demigod nephews.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Aphrodite shrieked, and Dionysus' empty glass of wine shattered.

"Thanks", said Percy, wincing at her high pitch.

"Seaweed Brain finally got some courage", Thalia teased.

"Yeah… Pinecone face", Percy retorted, smiling.

"I'll get back at you. Be happy for now", said Thalia, failing miserably to give him the evil eye.

She hugged Annabeth.

"Finally, huh?" she smiled.

"Finally!" Annabeth squealed, delighted.

"Congrats, Perce. You've learnt my _skills_"

"Thanks Apollo, but… your skills?"

"Oh come on, stop insulting me!"

Percy chuckled. "Sure"

"You stole my girl, fishy", Nico teased.

"Shut up, Hell boy", Percy glared

"I'm kidding. Congratulations on collecting your miserable guts after years"

"Thanks", Percy grinned.

There was a round of congratulations and talking, and Athena was beginning to get sick of it.

"Continue reading please", she told Hephaestus. "Before I **change my mind**"

At that, everyone shut up.

"After we're done with this", Aphrodite proclaimed. "We're having a proper celebration"

Everyone but Athena, Artemis, Ares, Hera and Dionysus cheered.

"And everyone who attends gets wine!" Zeus announced, sure that Dionysus would take the bait.

"I'M ATTENDING!" Dionysus shouted in delight. "PERCABETH FOREVER!"

At that outburst, everyone stared at Dionysus in shock. Then they started laughing crazily.

"Thank you, Mr.D", said Percy and Annabeth between laughs.

"Shut your trap, Peter Johnson. And tell your girlfriend Anniebell that too", Dionysus grumbled.

"Sure", Percy said, between laughs.

"Continue now, because I'm having serious doubts about my decision", Athena warned.

"Party Pooper", Apollo muttered.

Hephaestus continued quickly, not wanting to end his cousin's relationship before it began.

**She closed her laptop, which had been given to her as a gift from the inventor Daedalus last summer. I cleared my throat. "So… Get any good info from that thing?"**

"There must be too much!" Athena exclaimed.

**"Too much," she said. "Daedalus had so many ideas, I could spend fifty years just trying to figure them all out."**

"Wow", said Hermes.

**"Yeah," I muttered. "That would be fun."**

**She shuffled her papers - mostly drawings of buildings and a bunch of handwritten notes. I knew she wanted to be an architect someday, but I'd learned the hard way not to ask what she was working on.** **She'd start talking about angles and load-bearing joints until my eyes glazed over.**

Thalia chuckled. She knew where Percy was coming from.

"Hey!" Annabeth protested.

"Sorry", Percy replied sheepishly.

**"You know…" She brushed her hair behind her ear, like she does when she's nervous. **

"You know that", Athena stated grudgingly.

"Know what?" Percy asked.

"Her habits, traits, things she does. You've observed her"

"Umm… yeah"

"So you really do love her"

"Uh… I think that's what I said"

Athena sighed. Much as she hated it, this boy did seem worthy of her daughter.

**"This whole thing with Beckendorf and Silena. It kind of makes you think. About…What's important. About losing people who are important.**"

"And Percy wont take the hint", said Artemis, rolling her eyes.

"Doesn't matter now", said Annabeth, resting her head on Percy's shoulder.

"Oh really?" Aphrodite asked her.

"Yeah, we know how we feel about each other"

Artemis chuckled. "But you're still single", she pointed out.

"Which means Percy can date anyone else", said Aphrodite mischievously.

"So can you", said Artemis.

"Because technically…" Aphrodite trailed off, wondering if Annabeth had understood.

"YOU GUYS STILL DIDN'T ASK EACH OTHER OUT!" Artemis exclaimed, finally exasperated.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "You're interested in romance?"

Artemis shrugged. "This couple is pretty infuriating"

"Ahh… I see. And because of your interest in this couple, you and Aphrodite are friends now, I suppose", Apollo chuckled.

"NEVER!" Artemis and Aphrodite yelled together.

"Great beginnings", Hermes smirked.

"Yeah! You're agreeing with each other, completing each other's sentences", he grinned.

"Shut the Hades up!" the two goddesses screeched together.

"Yes ma'am", Hermes snickered.

"Coming back to the point", said Aphrodite.

"You're still single!" Artemis completed.

Annabeth sighed, looking at Percy expectantly.

Percy just looked at her in confusion. By now, all the females except Athena and some of the males were irked.

"PERCY! ARE YOU BLIND?" Artemis screeched.

"ASK HER OUT!" Aphrodite, Artemis, Hera, Persephone, Demeter and Thalia screamed at him.

"Oh – Oh yeah", Percy stammered, blushing.

Thalia sighed.

"It doesn't have to be the boy making the first move all the time, you know", she said.

"Especially if the boy's name is Seaweed Brain", Hera snorted.

"You're right", said Annabeth smiling. She turned to Percy.

"So, Percy Jackson, are you all mine?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in a manner that Percy found really cute.

"Yeah, I am", Percy replied instantly.

"And so you promise to commit yourself just to me?"

"I promise"

"So you're solely _my _boyfriend", Annabeth announced to everyone, causing them to cheer as she leaned in and kissed him again.

"I love you, Perseus Jackson", Annabeth whispered tenderly when they broke the kiss.

"I love you too", he whispered back, lost in the intensity of their eyes.

"And now the lovebirds will keep staring into each other's eyes as Athena sends carnivorous owls to rip Percy to pieces and eat him up", Dionysus commented, bringing everyone back to the reality of Athena's fuming face. Her fists were clenched in tight balls and she was restraining herself. This was too much for her to handle in a day.

"Right", said Thalia, saving Percy from Athena's wrath. "Lets continue"

Hephaestus complied.

**I nodded. My brain started seizing on little random details, like the fact that she was still wearing those silver owl earrings from her dad, who was this brainiac military history professor in San Francisco.**

Athena smiled. Ah… Fredrick, what a man! If she could marry, she knew he'd be the one.

**"Umm, yeah," I stammered. "Like . . . Is everything cool with your family?"**

"Oh my god!" Nico burst out and slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You killed the freaking mood!"

**Okay, really stupid question, but hey, I was nervous.** **Annabeth looked disappointed, but she nodded. "My dad wanted to take me to Greece this summer," she said wistfully. "I've always wanted to see-"**

**"The Parthenon," I remembered.**

Annabeth smiled and squeezed her boyfriend's hand. She didn't expect him to remember.

Athena managed a smile too. Maybe this boy could be an okay son – in – law

**She managed a smile. "Yeah."**

**"That's okay. There'll be other summers, right?"**

"I'm not sure", said Hades darkly.

**As soon as I said it, I realized it was a boneheaded comment.** **I was facing the end of my days.**

Persephone chuckled. "You're so dramatic, Percy, sometimes I think you're Dionysus' son"

"No way!" Dionysus and Percy exclaimed together.

**Within a week, Olympus might fall. If the Age of the Gods really did end,**

"Which it wont", said Zeus firmly.

**the world as we knew it would dissolve into chaos. Demigods would be hunted to extinction. There would be no more summers for us.**

"Dramatic fool", Athena muttered.

"Its true", Annabeth pointed out.

**Annabeth stared at her inspection scroll.** **"Three out five," she muttered, "for a sloppy head counselor.**

"I'm glad you have fair judgment", Athena cracked a tiny smile.

**Come on. Let's finish your reports and get back to Chiron."**

**On the way to the Big House, we read the last report, which was handwritten on a maple leaf from a satyr in Canada.** **If possible, the note made me feel even worse.**

"Apparently, its possible", Hera pointed out unnecessarily.

**"'Dear Grover,'" I read aloud. "'Woods outside Toronto attacked by giant evil badger.**

"Umm?" Nico asked, trying not to crack up. "Did I hear 'giant evil badger'"

Apollo and Hermes giggled along with him.

**Tried to do as you suggested and summon power of Pan. No effect. Many naiads' trees destroyed. Retreating to Ottawa. Please advise. Where are you?' -Gleeson Hedge, protector."**

"Grover's missing", Percy frowned.

**Annabeth grimaced. "You haven't heard anything from him? Even with your empathy link?"**

**I shook my head dejectedly.**

"Uh – oh", said Thalia. She didn't want to lose Grover.

**Ever since last summer when the god Pan had died, our friend Grover had been drifting farther and farther away.** **The Council of Cloven Elders treated him like an outcast, but Grover still traveled all over the East Coast, trying to spread the word about Pan and convince nature spirits to protect their own little bits of the wild.**

"He's a martyr", said Hestia warmly.

**He'd only come back to camp a few times to see his girlfriend, Juniper.**

"Love, love, love", Aphrodite sang and Artemis rolled her eyes. Apparently, the goddess of maidens was back to normal – scornful of love, that is.

**Last I'd heard he was in Central Park organizing the dryads, but nobody had seen or heard from him in two months. We'd tried to send Iris-messages. They never got through.**

"He can't be dead", Annabeth whispered. Percy squeezed her hand.

"He isn't", Hephaestus replied. "Listen"

**I had an empathy link with Grover, so I hoped I would know if anything bad happened to him.**

"Oh good", Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief.

**Grover had told me one time that if he died, the empathy link might kill me too.** **But I wasn't sure if that was still true or not.**

"Depends on the situation", Hades informed them.

**I wondered if he was still in Manhattan. Then I thought about my dream of Rachel's sketch-dark clouds closing on the city, an army gathered around the Empire State Building. "Annabeth. "**

"You're going to ask me for help", Annabeth realized.

"And you're going to be mad", Percy groaned.

"Not anymore", Annabeth chuckled. "I was just jealous"

Hermes and Apollo 'oohed' and Hephaestus continued.

**I stopped her by the tetherball court. I knew I was asking for trouble, but I didn't know who else to trust. Plus, I'd always depended on Annabeth for advice.**

Annabeth smiled.

"You can always count on me, Seaweed Brain"

"I know", Percy replied, glad to have a friend, a _girlfriend_ who'd always be there for him.

**"Listen, I had this dream about, um, Rachel..." I told her the whole thing, even the weird picture of Luke as a child. For a while she didn't say anything. Then she rolled up her inspection scroll so tight she ripped it.**

"Woah", said Ares. She must've been mad.

**"What do you want me to say?"**

"**I'm not sure. You're the best strategist I know. If you were Kronos planning this war, what would you do next?"**

**"I'd use Typhon as a distraction. Then I'd hit Olympus directly, while the gods were in the West. "**

**"Just like in Rachel's picture."**

**"Percy, " she said, her voice tight, "Rachel is just a mortal."**

"Who gets visions like me and my Oracle", Apollo frowned. "I need to know what happened to it!"

"You'll find out", Athena grimaced. Hades was feeling more and more guilty by the moment.

**"But what if her dream is true? Those other Titans - they said Olympus would be destroyed in a matter of days. They said they had plenty of other challenges. And what's with that picture of Luke as a kid-"**

**"We'll just have to be ready. "**

"Not enough", Athena frowned in worry.

**"How?" I said. "Look at our camp. We can't even stop fighting each other. **

"We need to knock sense into their heads", said Zeus.

**And I'm supposed to get my stupid soul reaped."**

"Unfortunately, probably not", said Athena.

"You read that part?" Percy asked hopefully.

"Not yet", she said. "I'm close"

**She threw down her scroll. "I knew we shouldn't have shown you the prophecy." Her voice was angry and hurt. "All it did was scare you.** **You run away from things when you're scared. "**

"No I don't!" Percy exclaimed.

**I stared at her, completely stunned. "Me? Run away?"**

**She got right in my face. "Yes, you. You're a coward, Percy Jackson!"**

"Am I?" Percy addressed everyone.

"Calm down", said Poseidon. "I know you're not. Lets prove it to everyone"

Percy smiled at his dad.

**We were nose to nose. Her eyes were red, and I suddenly realized that when she called me a coward, maybe she wasn't talking about the prophecy.**

"He caught a hint!" Hera exclaimed, utterly surprised.

"You should kiss her here", Dionysus suggested.

"And make her even more mad?" asked Athena in disbelief.

Dionysus nodded. "So that she can probably slap you so hard I don't see you for days"

Percy and Annabeth glared at him.

**"If you don't like our chances," she said, "Maybe you should go on that vacation with Rachel."**

**"Annabeth-"**

**"If you don't like our company."**

**"That's not fair!"**

**She pushed past me and stormed toward the strawberry fields. She hit the tetherball as she passed and sent it spinning angrily around the pole.**

**I'd like to say my day got better from there. Of course it didn't.**

"Aww", Aphrodite sympathized. "Nothing feels okay after you've fought with the one you love"

**That afternoon we had an assembly at the campfire to burn Beckendorf's burial shroud and say our good-byes. Even the Ares and Apollo cabins called a temporary truce to attend.**

"Oh good", said Persephone. Finally, some sense!

**Beckendorf's shroud was made out of metal links, like chain mail. I didn't see how it would burn, but the Fates must've been helping out. The metal melted in the fire and turned to golden smoke, which rose into the sky. The campfire flames always reflected the campers' moods, and today they burned black.**

Everyone was quiet. They wanted to finish this quickly. Even though they knew they wouldn't let him die, this wasn't easy to listen to.

**I hoped Beckendorf's spirit would end up in Elysium.**

"It will", Hades assured.

**Maybe he'd even choose to be reborn and try for Elysium in three different lifetimes so he could reach the Isles of the Blest, which was like the Underworld's ultimate party headquarters. **

Nico chuckled a little at that. It was true. The Isles of the Blest were his favourite place in the Underworld.

**If anyone deserved it, Beckendorf did.**

There were nods of agreement all around the table.

**Annabeth left without a word to me.**

"Gee", said Thalia. "You must've been mad at Perce, Annabeth"

"I guess", Annabeth replied.

**Most of the other campers drifted off to their afternoon activities. I just stood there staring at the dying fire. Silena sat nearby crying,**

Aphrodite winced at that.

**while Clarisse and her boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez, tried to comfort her. **

**Finally I got up the nerve to walk over.**

**"Hey, Silena, I'm really sorry. " She sniffled.**

"Thanks for trying to comfort her", said Aphrodite gratefully.

**Clarisse glared at me, but she always glares at everyone. **

"That's 'cause they're idiots", said Ares.

**Chris would barely look at me. He'd been one of Luke's men until Clarisse rescued him from the Labyrinth last summer, and I guess he still felt guilty about it.**

Hermes cringed. _'Why my kids?'_, he thought.

**I cleared my throat. "Silena, you know Beckendorf carried your picture. He looked at it right before we went into battle. You meant a lot to him. You made the last year the best of his life." Silena sobbed.**

"Aww", all the females cooed. That was so sweet.

**"Good work, Percy," Clarisse muttered.**

**"No, it's all right," Silena said. "Thank… Thank you, Percy. I should go. "**

**"You want company?" Clarisse asked.**

"My daughter rocks", said Ares proudly.

"She does", Aphrodite smiled.

**Silena shook her head and ran off.**

**"She's stronger than she looks," Clarisse muttered, almost to herself. "She'll survive."**

"Survive the heartbreak? Probably. Survive life with Ares cabin not fighting? Slim chance", Thalia snorted.

**"You could help with that," I suggested. "You could honor Beckendorf's memory by fighting with us."**

**Clarisse went for her knife, but it wasn't there anymore. She'd thrown it on the Ping-Pong table in the Big House.**

**"Not my problem," she growled. "My cabin doesn't get honor, I don't fight."**

"You should", Ares frowned.

**I noticed she wasn't speaking in rhymes. Maybe she hadn't been around when her cabin mates got cursed, or maybe she had a way of breaking the spell.**

**With a chill, I wondered if Clarisse could be Kronos's spy** **at camp.**

"She isn't", said Ares, glaring at Percy.

**Was that why she was keeping her cabin out of the fight? But as much as I disliked Clarisse, spying for the Titans didn't** **seem like her style.**

"That's true", Demeter mused.

"It isn't her", Athena grimaced.

**"All right," I told her. "I didn't want to bring this up, but you owe me one. You'd be rotting in a Cyclops's cave in the Sea of Monsters if it wasn't for me."**

"It won't work", said Thalia, shaking her head.

**She clenched her jaw. "Any other favor, Percy. Not this. The Ares cabin has been dissed too many times. And don't think I don't know what people say about me behind my back."**

**I wanted to say, well, it's true. **

Ares glared at him.

**But I bit my tongue. **

"Smart choice", Apollo noted.

**"So, what you're just going to let Kronos crush us?" I asked.**

Everyone frowned. The gods needed the Ares cabin too. They were the strongest fighters, the best protectors Olympus could have.

**"If you want my help so bad, tell Apollo to give us the chariot."**

"Argh", said Artemis, pulling at her hair. "Someone tell these kids to shut up and stop fighting!"

"Point noted", said Athena. "Add to list: Solve the chariot problem"

"We have a huge list", Poseidon muttered.

**She charged me, but Chris got between us.** **"Whoa, guys," he said. "Clarisse, you know, maybe he's got a point."**

**She sneered at him. "Not you too!" She trudged off with Chris at her heels.**

"Oh come on!" Hermes rolled his eyes.

**"Hey, wait! I just meant-Clarisse, wait!"**

"Chill, girl", said Ares.

Artemis snorted. "Says the god she got her temper from"

**I watched the last sparks from Beckendorf's fire curl into the afternoon sky. Then I headed toward the sword-fighting arena. I needed a break, and I wanted to see an old friend.**

"End of chapter", Beckendorf announced.

"And now its PARTY TIME!" Aphrodite shrieked.

"WINE!" Dionysus cheered.

Everyone laughed at that.

"Aphrodite", said Zeus. "Take over with your planning"

"Okay!" the goddess replied, bubbling with enthusiasm.

"Everyone, party here in an hour. Hermes, Apollo and Nico, I give you full responsibility of getting Percy ready. You need to get my approval once you're done. He better be impressive", Aphrodite commanded.

"Yes ma'am", the boys saluted and whisked a protesting Percy away.

"Thalia", Aphrodite barked. "You and I are in charge of Annabeth"

"Sure", Thalia grinned evilly.

"I need another two volunteers", said Aphrodite.

"Why do you need four people?" Annabeth asked, a little frightened.

"You'll see", the goddess replied impatiently. "Now, who's volunteering?"

"I don't mind", Hestia smiled. "I'm in too", said Persephone.

"Okay. Volunteers, take Annabeth to my chamber and get her settled! Now!" Aphrodite ordered.

"As for you", Aphrodite addressed the remaining people, which were Ares, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Hades, Demeter, Dionysus, Athena, Artemis, Hera and Zeus.

"Dionysus, I want you to be in charge of the food and drinks", she said. "Make them as splendid as possible. And _appropriate for kids_", she stressed.

Dionysus snapped his fingers and disappeared from there, eager to get plenty of precious wine.

"Athena, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus", said Aphrodite. "Fix up the place! I want gorgeously romantic decorations!"

"Excuse me", said Athena, her tone slightly cold. That was understandable though. She was experiencing how hard it was to yield, and taking it very well till now – for a proud goddess. "Don't get me wrong, I do want my daughter happy, but I think we need to be alive for that. Percy's birthday approaches closer every second. I must finish the book and form a strategy"

Zeus nodded. "Go", he said. "But do be ready for the celebration"

"I will", she nodded, and disappeared with the book to her chamber.

"I need some romantic music and lighting", Aphrodite wailed.

"Don't worry", said Hephaestus, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'll do the music"

Aphrodite looked at him a little doubtfully. "Don't be offended, but are you sure you can be romantic?"

Hephaestus chuckled. "When you were dating Ares, I spent a lot of my time trying to develop interest in romance. I must say, romantic music is pretty good. And chocolate is amazing"

Aphrodite squealed and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Go, be off now!"

Hephaestus' form glowed bright and he vanished from there.

"Ares", Aphrodite commanded. "Take Athena's place. Heavy – duty work is your job"

Ares grunted his 'okay'.

"I can do the lighting", Artemis suggested.

"Great idea!" said Aphrodite brightly.

"What about us?" asked Demeter and Hades.

Aphrodite considered them. "Hades, help Artemis with the lighting. The underworld is dark, I'm sure you had _some _romantic place when you tried to win Persephone's heart"

Hades grinned. "I sure did"

With that, he disappeared.

"Oh well", Aphrodite sighed, looking at Demeter. "I guess you could help Dionysus with the food. You know, manage him. But nothing too healthy", said the goddess sternly.

Demeter nodded gleefully and disappeared.

"Bad idea", Poseidon groaned. "The menu's going to be full of cereal!"

"Too late now", said Aphrodite. "Off to work!"

And with a snap of her fingers, she was in her chamber, AKA mega huge makeover machine.

* * *

><p><strong>APHRODITE'S CHAMBER<strong>

Annabeth sat in front of the huge vanity table. When she said huge, it meant absolutely massive.

There was an enormous floor to ceiling mirror in front of her, obstructed by a capacious cabinet that stretched from one end to the other. It was full of fancy brushes, curlers, hairdryers, hair straighteners, hair serums, perfumes, shampoos, soaps, make-up - you name it!

The rest of the walls had mirrors too. Oh, and everything, cabinets, visible walls, etc were different shades of pink. Annabeth felt like gagging.

The bathroom was pretty huge too, with a massive bathtub (which had a Jacuzzi, I might add).

"Go run the bath, Thalia!" Aphrodite commanded, taking charge.

"Aye Aye, Ma'am" said Thalia, saluting her, grinning at Annabeth evilly and complying with the goddess of beauty.

The next hour was Annabeth's most torturous one. She'd almost rather fight monsters than go through this.

Aphrodite and Thalia scrubbed her clean, and made her soak in the water in which Aphrodite had poured in a strange liquid, which smelt suspiciously of the sea.

After wrapping her up in a towel, Hestia and Persephone gave her a full manicure and pedicure treatment with Aphrodite barking orders at them. At the same time, she and Thalia were combing through her damp, messy curls.

Aphrodite, with Thalia's help, did her hair in such a way that her blonde curls waved gently down her back. She looked beautiful.

Her nails were perfectly French manicured.

"Now", Aphrodite commanded. "Hestia, Persephone, I give you five minutes to go through all the drawers and memorize what is where. Understood?"

The two goddesses nodded and set to work.

"What now?" Annabeth groaned.

"Make-up", Thalia grinned wickedly.

"Noo", Annabeth moaned.

"Shh!" Aphrodite snapped. "Look up here".

The next half an hour was spent perfecting Annabeth's face. The goddess of love and beauty dabbed at it with various lotions, enhancing her skin tone and making her look even better.

She brushed her face with different colored powders, bringing out her natural features. A little bit of eye shadow there, some blush here. She put black mascara on her eyelashes, making them look longer, outlined her eyes ever so slightly with black eyeliner and put turquoise kohl on the outer lining of her eyes. She made her put just a bit of lipstick and a pinch of gloss, to bring out the 'kissable' feature of her lips, as the goddess put it. Finally, she stood back, admiring her work. When Persephone and Hestia looked up at her, they gasped. Annabeth looked beautiful.

"Whoa!" said Thalia. "You look gorgeous"

"Thanks", Annabeth blushed. Hestia and Persephone were staring at her, their eyes wide.

"Aphrodite, you've outdone yourself", said Persephone and Hestia nodded her agreement.

"Thank you, ladies", said Aphrodite impatiently. "But we don't have time. Hurry up and get Annabeth into this dress. I'm checking on the boys and will be back in five minutes to see your work and then get us all ready"

And with that, she vanished into a poof of perfume and shower of roses.

* * *

><p><strong>APOLLO'S CHAMBER<strong>

As soon as everyone entered Apollo's chamber, Percy sank down onto a beanbag.

"Okay guys, I'm glad I'm with you. I don't have to face Aphrodite's treatment", Percy said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Apollo, Hermes and Nico were grinning mischievously.

"Don't be so happy yet", said Hermes, chuckling like a fool. "We're going to torture you"

"No way", said Percy.

"Way", Nico grinned.

Apollo opened the door of a closet and out sailed a rack of formal wear. From clothes to accessories, everything was there.

"Start trying them on, Seaweed Brain", Apollo chuckled as Hermes threw one at Percy's face.

"NOOOOOOOOO", Percy howled and everyone else snickered.

* * *

><p><strong>OLYMPIAN BALLROOM<strong>

"Okay, Ares, careful with the chandelier!" Hera directed.

"Artemis, Hades, I trapped the moonlight into these lights. Are they bright enough?" Hephaestus grunted.

"A little too much, I'm afraid", Hades replied, shaking his head.

"He's right", Artemis nodded.

Poseidon and Zeus went around working on a fountain in the middle of the room.

It had saltwater (naturally), and lightning lit it up brilliantly. It was the central attraction of the room.

"Okay, everyone, we need to hurry. Aphrodite will be here anytime!" Hera announced.

* * *

><p><strong>OLYMPIAN KITCHEN<strong>

"Dionysus! Are you mad?" Demeter fumed. "That's way too much wine! "

"Bah! What nonsense!" Dionysus spat out. "Wine is never too much, my dear Aunt"

Demeter frowned. "Well with _demigods_ around it is. They're too young for this!"

Dionysus muttered something about demigods being a nuisance to the world and no one being too young for wine and then snapped his fingers and changed the goblets.

Now, instead of serving the kind of alcoholic drink a person wished for, they'd serve any kind of drink. They were the same goblets you'd find at Camp Half Blood, but much more grand, made out of polished diamond.

"Good", said Demeter, satisfied. She went around the table, making sure there was enough variety of food.

"No cereals!" she gasped in horror and immediately set to work adding more Oat Flakes and Wheat flakes and Corn flakes to the menu.

Dionysus sighed. Aphrodite had made a bad choice for the food.

* * *

><p><strong>ATHENA'S CHAMBER<strong>

Athena had reclined into her comfortable reading chair, the lighting just right for reading.

Within fifteen minutes, she'd read the rest of the book. Her grey eyes were wide as coins almost all the time.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she read that Olympus was saved. Throughout the book and her interactions, Athena had realized she'd been wrong about Percy Jackson. He really was a good person. Worthy of being her daughter's boyfriend.

"Oh well", she sighed. "Everyone makes mistakes. The wisest can be unwise too"

She set to work making a list of things they needed to change and strategies for doing so. She only stopped when the alarm she'd set rang. There were five minutes to the celebration.

Athena smiled, genuinely happy about her daughter's relationship for the first time.

'_Better get ready'_, she thought to herself.

* * *

><p><strong>THE CELEBRATION<strong>

"Close your eyes, Perce", said Nico.

"Why?" Percy complained.

"You can't see the bride before Aphrodite says so", Hermes smirked.

Percy blushed deeply. "Hey! We're just celebrating us finally dating! We're not _married!"_

"Yet", Apollo chuckled.

Suddenly, Percy heard all three males beside him gasp. There mouths were wide open, and had they not been attached to the rest of their faces, they would've fallen to the floor.

Percy opened his eyes and followed their gaze to see a beautiful young woman standing in front of them. She was blushing shyly at the reactions of the gods and Nico.

She had beautiful blonde hair that curled down to the middle of her back, and she was dressed in a beautiful turquoise dress that hugged her curves. It was strapless and it showed of her chest and slim waist before it flared out at the bottom till her ankles. Her lips were pink and kissable, her grey eyes complimented by the black and turquoise colour around them, and her lashes were long and seductive. She smelt strongly of the sea, and Percy wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her tenderly. She was no match for all the women around her, she was much more beautiful than them by far. Even Aphrodite looked like an average mortal in front of this girl.

This girl was Annabeth Chase – Percy Jackson's girlfriend and the girl he loved the most in the world.

"What are you staring at, Seaweed Brain?" she asked.

"Annabeth", Percy breathed.

She sauntered over to him and placed her arms around his neck.

"You – you're beautiful", Percy stuttered.

Annabeth smiled. "You're not too bad yourself"

And he wasn't. In fact, he looked heartbreaking. He wore a black tuxedo, but what Annabeth was admiring was his natural good looks. His ever-messy dark hair, those mesmerizing sea green eyes, that charming smile…

"Are you guys done staring at each other?" Thalia interrupted, but the couple apparently didn't hear her. By Aphrodite's insistence, she was wearing a black one shouldered dress, her hair perfectly straight, and not spiky for once. Her black eyeliner made her look a little gothic too.

Nico chuckled. "I don't think Percy is ever going to get enough. You look beautiful, by the way"

"Thanks, hellboy", Thalia grinned.

"You too, Annabeth", Nico added.

But Annabeth was too lost in Percy's smoldering eyes to notice Nico's compliment.

Thalia chuckled. "Lets dance?" she asked, and Nico looked at her nervously.

"Promise me Artemis wont turn me into a jackalope?

Thalia laughed. "I promise. Now lets go!" and she tugged him to the middle of the room, where a few couples were already dancing.

Percy and Annabeth were still staring into each other's eyes, hypnotized. They couldn't look away.

Suddenly, a spotlight glared at the couple in the middle.

Percy and Annabeth blinked at the sudden bright light.

"Here's to one of the most beautiful couples in demigod history", Aphrodite announced. She was wearing a crimson dress with a deep V- necked neckline that showed off her chest.

"Percy and Annabeth, or PERCABETH!"

Everyone clapped and the two of them blushed. Really, this felt more like a wedding than a celebration for getting demigods to date!

"I would now like Poseidon and Athena to say a few words"

Poseidon came up first. He wore a sea blue tuxedo that would've looked ridiculous on most people but complimented the god of the Sea greatly.

"I have nothing much to say", Poseidon began. "Firstly, congratulations, son!"

Percy smiled at that.

"I'm glad you got the girl you love. Initially, I was apprehensive about you dating a daughter of Athena, but later I decided that personal grudges couldn't come in the way of my son's love life. Keep her happy. And here's to a happy married – I mean a happy relationship for Perseus and Annabeth! Oh and, Annabeth, you look gorgeous."

There was a round of applause and hooting and the couple blushed at Poseidon's accidental tongue slip.

Athena came next.

"I'll keep my speech short too. It took me a lot of time, but finally, I decided Percy was deserving of my daughter"

Here, she paused to study Percy seriously.

"Do not prove me wrong", she added.

"I wont", said Percy, not sure if he was audible.

Athena continued. "I wish my daughter and her boyfriend a happy relationship, and I hope they are wise in the decisions they make. And Annabeth, you look beautiful", Athena smiled.

Then she looked at Percy. "You, young man, seem pretty attractive too. I repeat, don't let me down"

She smiled warmly at him for the first time. She smiled back.

"And now I believe Aphrodite wants to take over", she said, stepping back and letting Aphrodite take center stage.

"And now, Percy and Annabeth will formally have their first dance right now! Apollo, music!" Aphrodite announced.

A soft melody began. It was a slow dance.

"You know how to dance, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth smiled.

"Hey, I'm not a social outcast!" Percy protested.

Annabeth laughed and he led her to the middle of the dance floor. He put his hand on her waist and she put hers on his shoulder. They clasped their free hands together.

The words began.

_**Find me here,  
>And speak to me,<br>I want to hear you,  
>I need to feel you,<strong>_

Annabeth loved feeling his arms around her, his body touching hers.

She loved hearing him whisper he loved her.

She loved him.

_**You are the light,  
>That's leading me,<br>To the place,  
>Where I find peace, again,<strong>_

Thalia was dancing with Apollo.

She felt so happy and safe.

It always happened. When he was with her… it was like his aura, his light enveloped her in a place where she could be peaceful.

His arms were the place where she found peace.

He was the light that led her to happiness.

_**You are the strength,  
>That keeps me walking,<br>You are the hope,  
>That keeps me trusting,<strong>_

She was what kept Percy not lose faith in himself. They knew how hopeless their chances were. He knew that the prophecy said he'd die.

But she was the hope that kept him trusting.

_**You are the light,  
>To my soul,<br>You are my purpose,  
>You're everything, <strong>_

Persephone's head rested on Hades' chest.

He was the light to her soul in the darkness of the Underworld.

He was why she was still there.

He was everything to her.

_**And how can I stand here with you  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me how could it be  
>Any better than this?<strong>_

Zeus felt guilty. Here, his wife stood, loving him unconditionally and irrevocably while he'd had so many affairs.

But the King of the gods knew she would always be his Queen.

She would always be the Queen of his heart, the woman he loved the most.

He made a silent vow to be a better husband.

Right now, it felt as if nothing could be better.

_**You calm the storms,  
>And you give me rest,<br>You hold me in your hands,  
>You wont let me fall<strong>_

Hera danced with her husband.

It was one of those rare yet treasured moments where their young love was relived again.

Why she hated demigods was because she knew the jealousy felt by women (or men) when their husbands (or wives) cheated on them.

She loved Zeus.

He was the only one who could calm the storms raging inside her head.

He made her feel rested, at peace.

He had affairs with other women many times, but he was always there for her.

He was always there to catch her when she fell.

_**You steal my heart,  
>And you take my breath away,<br>Would you take me in?  
>Take me deeper now,<strong>_

Aphrodite stared up at the face of her husband as they glided slowly across the dance floor.

It didn't seem ugly anymore. It probably had to do with how she'd fallen in love with him.

He had changed her for the better.

He had stolen her heart.

His affection and intelligence took her breath away.

She regretted hurting him as much as she had.

She could only hope he truly had forgiven her, and would lead her deeper inside him.

_**And how can I stand here with you,  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me how could it be,  
>Any better than this?<strong>_

Apollo felt lost in the startling blue eyes of the huntress in front of him.

He couldn't admit it to her, but he was the one woman he truly loved.

The one woman he could settle down with.

The one woman who was off limits.

Standing there with her, he knew that it didn't matter if she wasn't hers.

It hurt, yes. But he would always love her.

_**And how can I stand here with you,  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me how could it be?  
>Any better than this?<strong>_

Dancing here with his wife, Hades could feel guilt creeping upon him like a dark shadow.

He had abducted her. But here she was, smiling lovingly into his eyes.

The way she loved him unconditionally touched him deeply.

He was moved by her and her love. Nothing could've been better.

_**Cuz you're all I want,  
>You're all I need,<br>You're everything,  
>Everything,<strong>_

Percy spun her around. Her smile, her intense eyes, the way her hair flew around, her thoughts, ideas, personality, it meant everything to her.

She was all he wanted, all he needed, she was everything.

_**You're all I want,  
>You're all I need,<br>You're everything,  
>Everything,<strong>_

Annabeth watched the delight on Percy's face as she spun around, hair flying wildly.

His childish nature, sea green eyes, naughty smile, slow and dumbness, loyalty, bravery, affection, it meant everything to her.

He was all she wanted, all she needed, he was everything.

_**You're all I want,  
>You're all I need,<br>You're everything,  
>Everything,<strong>_

She was all he wanted, but didn't have.

She was all he needed, but couldn't get.

She was everything to him.

_**You're all I want,  
>You're all I need,<br>You're everything,  
>Everything,<strong>_

She wanted him. He was a god known for his affairs. She knew he couldn't love her.

And she was a huntress. She couldn't fall in love with her Lady's brother.

And yet, he was all she wanted.

He was all she needed.

He was everything to her.

_**And how can I, stand here with you,  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me, how could it be?  
>Any better than this?<strong>_

Standing here with his wife, Hephaestus couldn't help but think this is how it should've been.

He should hate her but he couldn't.

She had changed him. He was a better person.

Nothing could be better than this.

_**And how can I, stand here with you,  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me, how could it be?  
>Any better, any better than this?<strong>_

Standing there with Thalia, he couldn't help but marvel at her.

She had sacrificed herself for her friends. And he knew she would do it again and again.

He couldn't help but be moved by the person she was.

He couldn't help but love her.

And how can I stand here with you,  
>And not be moved by you?<br>Would you tell me how could it be?  
>Any better than this?<p>

Standing there together underneath the light of the beautiful chandelier hanging above them, Percy and Annabeth knew that they were meant to be together. They would always love each other.

They would live together, start a family, die together.

They would always mean everything to each other.

_**Would you tell me how could it be?  
>Any better than this?<strong>_

"It can't be better than this", Percy whispered tenderly as he leaned in and kissed his girlfriend tenderly.

A sudden scream broke their kiss.

"Apollo!" Thalia screamed.

Her partner had fallen to the floor, and he was having some sort of spasm, like he'd been electrocuted. Everyone crowded around them

"What's wrong?" Hermes shouted, panicked.

"Prometheus in trouble", Apollo muttered before he blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER :D<strong>

**How was the chapter? PERCY AND ANNABETH ARE DATING! YAY!**

**Soo much Percabeth here. I hope I didn't overdo it!**

**The song at the end is called Everything by Lifehouse.**

**The couples and their thoughts were pretty much hard to write! I hope I've done a good job.**

**Please please PLEASE Read and REVIEW!**

**Oh and, (evil grin) the next chapter update will be a while. **

**Why? Cuz:**

**a) The next chapter is where the **_**real **_**story starts. I need time for that!**

**b) My birthday's coming up! :D Its this Saturday :D :D Thus, I'll be busy all weekend.**

**Bear with me! I promise the next chapter's gonna be great!**

**Review Review REVIEW! Who knows, the more the reviews, the faster the chapter comes on.**

**Lets say I get 50 reviews. Man, the chapter's gonna be **_**fast **_**then!**

**:D Love you people!**

**~ITOR**


	6. I drive my dog into a tree

**Hey people!**

**I'm gonna start off by saying**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING ME REACH 50+ REVIEWS! :D **

**You guys seriously rock! I have 55 reviews now (56 rather… since HermesPotter sent me another one in a PM ;)**

**Speaking of HermesPotter,**

**This chapter's totally for YOU! I hope you all know I don't favour any of my readers/am biased to anyone (that'll be dumb of me. I love you all equally!). This is for her because its her excitement and love for this story that had me even more excited about this as well (along with everyone contributing to the 50+ reviews thing). She sent me four reviews in a day! I was ecstatic! Thank you, HermesPotter! :D **

**As I promised, if I get more than 50 reviews, I'd update by Tuesday. So here the chapter is! I lived up to my word!**

**Its always been a dream to get a hundred reviews. Will you all make it come true? **

**I haven't dared to dream of this… but more than a hundred reviews…sigh 3 I'd love it (miracle!)**

**Lets set a target. The moment I reach 65 - 70 reviews, I'll post the next chapter. Fair enough?**

**Oh and, THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES :D **

**AND, IMPORTANT: People who leave unsigned reviews, please just add a random name so that I know if the reviews are by the same person/different people etc. It gets confusing!**

**I've put my heart and soul into this. This is the first chapter I actually planned out. I even wrote parts of it in my notebook late into the night and stopped when my eyes wouldn't open anymore. I hope you guys like it. Please do read and review!**

**I want to thank:**

**Raynbow Monkey, stormcallerofthesky, MelanieCarter15, Mytical-Mist-Devil, Ninjachick819, AethisticPokemon and AnnabethChase rocks for adding this story to your Story Alert lists!**

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**My reviewers! Here are the replies:**

**NivMizzet6977: lol, Mr.D is… forget it, I'm not saying the C word. I don't want to be incinerated into nothingness! Percabeth :D Thank you! Yeah, that's exactly my belief. It's the thought that counts!**

**Bigfananime: Ooh thanks!**

**Mytical-Mist-Devil: Percabeth! :D Thanks! The end is one of my favourite songs! Thanks for the birthday wish!**

**chloexo: I know, Chloe! Dionysus' powers rock! Rick Riordan demonstrated that pretty well in The Titan's Curse. Yeah, it seemed Percy-ish to me =) Hehe… it is a verry romantic song 3 **

**Partin: Sure you can! Its your review, your thoughts, so go ahead! Thank you!**

**darklilyofthevalley: Thank you! I'm glad I didn't. **

**Anime Princess: Yeah, they're going to be maturing even more! You'll see in this chapter. I used your idea, you know. Thanks for it! Lol, I was thinking from Artemis' POV. Even if I weren't one for love, it would be pretty infuriating if two kids kept behaving that way! **

**annabethsmyname16: Thanks!**

**HermesPotter's un-logged in review: Thank you so much! :D Its my favourite scene in the past five chapters too :) All your favourite ones? Wow, that's pretty cool! Well, this isn't exactly characters read the books because stuff keeps happening during and after this, but actually, I can't be sure about what kind of story it is. You decide. Thank you so much! I was soo happy when you told me this is your favourite Percy Jackson and the Olympians fanfic! You don't have any grammar/spelling mistakes, don't worry :) And ooh it is? Cool!**

**TempestCain: Read and find out! (grins). Of course! Percabeth, Thapollo/Apollia, HEPHASTODITE! :D, Zera (Zeus/Hera), Hadersephone (Hades/Persephone), they're all there! Artemis was just exasperated, but you know, the gods are opening their eyes. They're learning to realize stuff. Haha yeah, Percabeth :D**

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**Unsigned reviewer who reviewed Chapter 2 on 19****th**** May 2011: Thank you! And please leave a name next time!**

**Unsigned reviewer who reviewed Chapter 5 on 19****th**** May 2011: Umm… TLO (The Last Olympian) is a great book. But incase you were saying you love my story, thanks! I'm slightly confused. You love/hate forbidden love? And please leave a name the next time you review!**

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**HermesPotter – again! :D : Thank you thank you thank you so so SO much! My smile was soo huugee when I read this!**

**HELLO D: Is he? I didn't realize Nico seems OOC. Percabeth dating is crazy? Umm…okay. As you like it**

**Unsigned Reviewer who reviewed Chapter 5 on 22****nd**** May 2011: Here's the update! And thank you so much for the birthday wish :) My birthday was fine, the best part was reading the FanFiction reviews :D**

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**That's all for now.**

**Here the story is.**

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**Now, go ahead and read :) (If you bothered reading all of that stuff)**

* * *

><p>"Apollo, whats wrong?" Thalia asked, panicked.<p>

He had passed out in her arms after murmuring, _'Prometheus in trouble'_. She was shaking him fervently, her electric blue eyes misty with tears that threatened to spill out.

Everyone had gathered around the two of them, shock visible in their faces.

'_Why does this always happen?'_ Percy thought to himself bitterly. _'All good things get spoilt __**all the freaking time!**__'_

"Brother, wake up!" Artemis said anxiously, shaking her twin's limp body. She'd never admit it, but under her I-don't-care-about-you-because-you're-so-irritating attitude, she loved him.

"He needs time to recover," said Athena. "Get some Nectar!"

"Here," said Dionysus, handing over one of the magical goblets that were there at the party. He'd wished for Nectar in one of them.

Artemis put the goblet to Apollo's lips. Soon, his eyelids fluttered open.

"Are you okay?" Artemis exclaimed worriedly and hugged him before he could reply.

When she pulled away, Apollo was unsmiling. He wasn't even teasing Artemis about the fact that she hugged a _boy_. This meant that either Apollo was really sick – which was highly unlikely as he was the god of healing, or he was really serious.

"We are in danger," he said. The graveness of his voice stopped everyone from making sarcastic comments. The demigods had _never _seen him like this.

"What happened, Apollo? What did you see?" Thalia urged. "I just saw your eyes glaze over – they had a far-away look and minutes later you collapsed!"

"My vision. Father, we made a great mistake. Prometheus deserves to be honoured, not punished," said Apollo, and his deadly serious voice was unnerving. "He was chained to a rock, watching our celebration. Then, he looked at me, his expression grave. 'I know you will understand,' he said. 'This book is the future. Being the Titan of forethought, I know. See the lives lost, the bloodshed, the panic, the pain. You can prevent it all'"

Everyone looked hopeful. They didn't want all the terror that was supposed to happen.

"'You sent the book to me,' I breathed. He nodded. 'I know you wonder why. I do not have the time to tell you yet. My powers fade as I've done nothing but been eaten by these eagles for millennia. Remember, if Kronos gets to know that you know what he's going to do, his plans will change. It'll be much more dangerous. Do you understand?' I nodded. 'Tell me all about his plans,' I commanded. 'Well, for starters,' Prometheus began, smoothing his tuxedo. 'He-' But then Prometheus turned. What I saw chilled me to the bone. Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis –"

Percy, Nico and Annabeth felt angry and betrayed. Percy had saved him and here the kid was ungrateful, still helping Kronos.

"Had been spying on the whole conversation. He walked over to Prometheus. 'I was sent to free you,' he said. 'But I don't free traitors,' he snarled viciously. With a swipe of his sword, he pierced Prometheus' stomach and disconnected my vision. My last sight of him was of him doubled over in pain, groaning in agony as ichor pooled around him rapidly. Ethan probably rushed to Kronos. And then I fainted," Apollo finished.

Everyone was silent, some open-mouthed in horror.

"Kronos' plans getting worse is very, very bad," Athena grimaced. She alone knew the whole story. They'd barely survived. Kronos' plan couldn't – _shouldn't_ get worse.

"What will we do?" Annabeth asked, her voice tainted with despair.

Percy took her hand and rubbed soothing circles with his thumb.

"I think," said Zeus finally. "There is no danger."

"What?" Apollo gasped. "You've got to be kidding!"

"I'm not," Zeus replied. "This could be a ploy."

"It isn't!" Apollo whined. No one trusted him!

"I agree," said Thalia, rushing to Apollo's defense. Her father was being unnecessarily stubborn. "And even if it isn't, its too dangerous a possibility to be ignored."

"Thanks, Thal," said Apollo, and he forced himself to smile at her. She smiled back at him.

Zeus grimaced. "Thalia is right, father," said Athena.

"We'll see. Lets plan now," said Zeus, obstinate as ever.

He snapped his fingers. Instantly, everyone was in the Olympian Council room. It was a slightly ridiculous sight – gods and demigods in tuxedos and dresses at a war council.

Athena brought out a paper and pen.

"Our list of priorities," she announced.

"Threats, priorities and battle strategies

(1) We wont let Beckendorf die. Need to try finding a strategy to blow up the _Princess Andromeda _without the demigods being hurt. Or instead, find an alternative to that.

(2) Poseidon's battle isn't going well. We need him to defeat Typhon, who has been unleashed. Find a way to help Poseidon win the battle.

(3) The book says that the gods are busy fighting Typhon and Olympus is undefended but for the demigods. Need to make a foolproof plan for them. Recruit and train more demigods.

(4) Refresh all of our memories about the most ancient monsters and inform the demigods about them

(5) Get the Oracle to change bodies.

(6) Interpret the Prophecy

(7) Save Percy. Well, he doesn't die but we need to take precautions.

(8) Aphrodite needs to give the kids a lecture on sensitivity

(9) Make uglyface . com

(10) Make a battle strategy for defeating Typhon

(11) Check if this is a book for mortals, like fiction

(12) Convince the Spy to stop helping Kronos and turn her or him to our side.

(13) Solve the chariot problem for the Ares and Apollo cabins

(14) Respecting the minor gods

(15) Stop Nakamura from ratting Prometheus out to Kronos

Here she finished, slightly breathless.

"That's long," said Persephone at last.

"Some of it doesn't make sense though," Demeter pointed out. "Why make uglyface . com?"

"I'll explain everything. Lets go one by one," said Athena.

"Go ahead," said Demeter.

"Well firstly," Athena began. "Save Beckendorf. We need to –"

But Poseidon cut her off. "That's easy," he said. He closed his eyes, and unleashed his fury. The room shook violently and Poseidon's face had a look of intense concentration. Suddenly, everything was calm.

Poseidon smiled in satisfaction. "All taken care of. I'm not fighting right now. I'm strong. And this was a good way to let out my anger. The _Princess Andromeda _was just destroyed by a terrible hurricane."

"Good. One down, fourteen to go. Defeating Oceanus is the next point," said Athena.

"Uncle P, you need to have a strong defense line. And then attack him before he attacks you. That way, _he'll _be surprised and we'll win. If necessary, we'll help," Ares advised.

Poseidon nodded. "Defending Olympus is next," he said.

"I'll come to that later," said Athena. "After that is refreshing our memories about the oldest monsters and teaching the demigods about them."

Dionysus nodded. Even he was serious and not grumbling. "I'll take care of that," he said.

"Get the Oracle to change bodies," Hermes snorted. "How?"

"I suppose I'll tell you," said Hades uncomfortably.

"Go ahead," said Apollo, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Hades was uncomfortably quiet. Athena could sense his discomfort.

"Do you want me to read that part out?" she asked quietly.

"Can we just read it in that chapter?" Hades pleaded.

Athena considered this. Finally, she nodded.

"We don't have much time now. We'll be reading these chapters very fast. The demigods can have rooms here on Olympus. And the Oracle will change bodies. It will be Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I'm sorry, Hermes," she ended, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Hermes was silent. Hades continued the list, anxious to change the topic. "Interpret the Prophecy," he said.

"I'll do that," said Athena.

"A half blood of the eldest gods,  
>Shall turn sixteen against all odds,<p>

That will be Percy.

And see the world in endless sleep,

Morpheus will put the world to sleep so that Kronos can attack.

A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap,

The hero will be Luke. The cursed blade shall be Annabeth's dagger, cursed because of Luke's broken promise to protect her," said Athena quietly.

"He'll die a hero," said Percy, trying to comfort Annabeth, Thalia and Hermes.

"He will realize his mistake. He is brave," said Athena.

"Just continue," Hermes muttered. Athena complied.

"A single choice shall end his days,

Percy's choice to give Luke Annabeth's dagger is what ends his days, thus killing Kronos

Olympus to preserve or raze,

This is how Olympus will be preserved," Athena finished.

"Next point," said Hermes, glaring at the table. His son would die. _'But he'll die a hero,'_ his mind argued. He needed time.

Apollo put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Save Percy," said Artemis. "Well, he will have to bathe in the River Styx."

"It'll be successful," Athena said, relieving Poseidon. "And Hades…" she trailed off.

"I won't do it," the Lord of the Dead muttered.

"Then, the lecture on sensitivity. Club that with the solving the chariot problem. You and Hephaestus do that, Aphrodite. I'll be with you. We'll do so when we give them lessons about monsters," said Athena. Aphrodite nodded.

"Make uglyface . com", said Athena, smiling at the next part of her list.

"Why?" asked Thalia, bewildered.

Annabeth smiled. "Just imagine, a messaging site for monsters. Their thoughts, fears, plans, all under our control. We can blackmail them if we like. Find their weaknesses. Learn Kronos' plans. All because of a monster messaging website."

Everyone smiled too. This was _so _ingenious.

"I'll do it," said Hermes. He didn't look pained anymore. "My son will die – but after doing what's right. I can only honour him," he said.

Apollo smiled. "I'll help you, brother."

The atmosphere was much more hopeful now. Maybe everything would turn out fine.

"Make a battle strategy for defeating Typhon," Zeus recalled. "We'll do that later."

"Check if this book is for mortals," said Hestia.

"One sec," Hermes replied. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, and then opened them. "Apparently, yes. But its being sold as fiction, so that's okay. I wonder why…"

"To increase our strengths," Percy realized suddenly. Everyone looked at him.

"You said the more people that believe in you, the stronger you are. So if this makes children believe in Greek gods, won't your power grow?" Percy explained.

"He's right!" Annabeth exclaimed. Athena nodded. "Prometheus is very intelligent," she said respectfully.

"Next is convince the spy to help us," Aphrodite recalled.

Athena grimaced. "I'm sorry Aphrodite – its Silena. Your daughter."

Everyone was shell-shocked. The demigods were stunned. Silena didn't seem like the person to betray them. Aphrodite began to cry. Hephaestus held her in his arms, rubbing her back, soothing her.

"My daughter betrayed us. She was responsible for her boyfriend's death," Aphrodite sobbed. No one knew how to comfort her. No one but Artemis.

"She must have had a reason," said Artemis gently.

"She did," Athena suddenly recalled. "Before she liked Beckendorf, Luke was nice to her. She liked him a little. She helped him. But later she wanted to stop. He threatened to tell everyone. He said less lives would be lost this way. He said Beckendorf wouldn't be hurt."

"See, Aphrodite. She had been blackmailed and manipulated. She died a hero in the end. She did what was right," said Artemis, strangely gentle. "Like Luke," she quickly added so that Hermes wouldn't be hurt.

"And Silena still has a chance, Aphrodite. You can talk to her. Its too late for Luke. But you, and only _you, _Aphrodite, can save Silena. Be a good mother! Show her the right path. Save her", Hermes urged, his voice straining with pain.

Aphrodite nodded. She wiped her eyes and smiled. Then she did something that surprised everyone. First she hugged Hermes.

"Thank you," she said, eyes full of gratitude. "You're very brave. To listen to everything, to know your child's fate… and yet, you're here. You're very courageous."

Then came the shocker. She walked up to Artemis and flung her arms around the startled goddess.

"I'm sorry I hated you just because you hate love. You have the right to have your own opinion. Thank you for comforting me. Thank you," said the goddess misty eyed.

Artemis had tears in her eyes as well. She hadn't expected this.

"I'm sorry for scorning love. Looking at it, it doesn't seem as bad as I thought. And you're welcome. What are friends for?"

She winked at the other goddess and thus was born a newfound friendship between the goddess of Love and goddess of Maidenhood.

Hera was smiling hugely at all the gods. "This is how you all should behave. Like a perfect family", she said.

"Well," said Hephaestus bitterly "That's how you _think_ a perfectfamily should be, mother. No discord, just harmony."

"No faults, just perfection. Only beauty. That's what _you _call a '_perfect'_ family," Aphrodite added, standing up for her husband. "You threw Hephaestus off Olympus because he was ugly to you. That isn't what a _perfect _family does. A _perfect _mother would've accepted her son for who he is and seen and supported his strengths."

Hera looked outraged. "How dare you?" she screamed.

"They're right," Apollo joined in. "Our _family _also extends to our demigod children. Agreed, its wrong of the married ones to cheat on their husbands or wife. But we can't just kill the children! We can't ignore them and go on using them. We need to be able to visit them, to help them, to stand by their sides. Like a _perfect _family."

"And because we haven't been good parents, because we haven't paid attention to our children, they've turned against us," said Athena.

"Luke is the best example of that," said Hermes quietly. "If I would've visited him more, if I wouldn't have made him feel abandoned, if I would've been a _perfect _father, or maybe just a good one, then today, this wouldn't be happening."

"And," said Artemis, adding her thoughts. "Even the minor gods are part of our family. We don't give them enough credit. That isn't what a _perfect _family would do."

"That's why they've turned against us," said Hades. "I know how it feels to be rejected – to be an outcast or unimportant part of your family. A _perfect _family doesn't work that way."

"STOP IT!" Hera screamed, anger coursing through her veins. She turned to Zeus.

"Do you agree with them?" she asked harshly.

He hesitated, and then nodded. A tear rolled down Hera's cheek.

Zeus wiped it away and hastily explained, "I haven't been the _perfect _husband, my dear. I know that. But what I've done can't be changed. The only thing is accepting my mistakes and moving on."

Persephone rested a hand on Hera's shoulder. "I know you despise Zeus' other children. I know how you feel. I know the pain. It hurts me too. But maybe, when you get to know them, they won't be as bad as you think. I've discovered that about Nico." Here, she paused to smile at him. "I know why you hate demigods so much. But Hera, we can't turn our back on them. We can't on hating them. We need to move on. Did Zeus do anything behind your back after Thalia?"

Hera thought about it. "No," she admitted.

"And you tell me, don't the demigods help us out? I know you wont admit it, but inside you know that without them, we would've been in Tartarus right now. They are our extended family. We need to learn to love them. We need to act as a _perfect_ family," said Persephone, smiling at her.

Hera managed a small smile. Then she sighed.

"Why did they turn against us?"

"Because we didn't pay attention to them," Hermes replied.

She sighed again. "I'm sorry. This is entirely my fault. Had I not stopped you from interacting with your children, this wouldn't have happened. So, I guess I'll lift that ban."

Everyone stared at her in astonishment.

"Really?" Dionysus asked, wide eyed. He couldn't believe it. His stubborn stepmother actually saying something like that!

"Yeah," she said, trying to yield gracefully.

"So we can meet our children often?" Apollo asked, eyes shining.

Hera pursed her lips. "As long as it doesn't affect your duties," she said.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Thalia exclaimed. "I really was wrong about you. You aren't mean and stuck up after all!"

"That's what you all thought of me?" Hera asked sadly.

Percy nodded. "But that's changed. Wow."

"Enough," Hera grumbled. "Or I might change my mind."

"Right. Now, everyone, this is important. Listen up," said Athena, her grave voice bringing everyone back down to their terrible situation. "The book says there will be about a forty demigod army versus untold number of evil monsters. The Party Ponies –"

"The Party Ponies!" Apollo interrupted. "Woohoo! They ROCK!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

Athena glared at him. "As I was saying, the Party Ponies and the Hunters of Artemis join in. Later, Hades and his army of skeletal warriors does too, but we don't want demigods unsafe or straying over to enemy hands. Now, I want all of you to send the locations of your demigod children to Chiron so he can send Satyrs to get them here and fast. We need to prepare them for the fight."

"You should talk to them too. You know, encouraging words. So they don't feel used," Nico suggested.

Athena nodded. "We will. Now quick! Locate all of them!"

"All?" asked Apollo, a little weary. He of course would have a problem in keeping track of them…

"Yes, all," said Athena firmly.

"Fine," Apollo grumbled and then closed his eyes.

All the gods except the Big Three and Hera, Persephone, Hestia and Artemis closed their eyes.

"Paper and pen, please," Apollo sighed. His list was huge.

"Here," said Artemis, passing it to him.

He scribbled down names quickly.

The list was huge – Chris, Amy, Robert, Jack, Jake, Cassey, Stephen, Joe, Mike, George, Sadie, Jacob, Isabella, Elena, Damon, Edward, Alex, Max, Carter, Fletcher, Sarah, Sam and Samantha the twins, Lee, Sandra, Angela, Dylan, Alice, Jessica, Bill, Charlie, James, Victoria, Nisho, Cheng, Xiao-Lang, and so many more.

When Artemis looked at it, she was shocked.

"Holy Styx! You've got so many kids from all over the world!" she exclaimed.

Apollo grinned sheepishly. The others had much smaller lists.

"Hermes, send these to Chiron?" Athena requested.

"Sure," the messenger of the gods mumbled and disappeared for a few moments. Then he was back.

"Done,' he announced.

"That's one major thing taken care of," Athena sighed with relief.

"We'll talk to the minor gods later," said Hera. "The more important thing is, what do we do about Ethan Nakamura?"

Everyone grimaced. Right now, he was the biggest threat.

"What can we do? Its already happened. There's no turning back now," Nico grimaced.

"No," Apollo disagreed. "Ethan is a son of Nemesis. He'll want revenge on the gods who 'abandoned' him. For that, he needs to rise in Kronos' eyes. He'll try to present his discovery in a more fantastic way. But we have an hour, two hours at the maximum."

"We need to ambush him," said Ares. "Capture him and make him a prisoner."

"But that means we don't have the time to prepare! Kronos will attack!" Athena exclaimed.

"But if he spills the beans, Kronos will change his plans. That's worse," Poseidon pointed out.

"His plans are being changed even now!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"Not important," said Ares slowly. "Why would losing Ethan matter to Kronos? Kronos knows Nakamura wouldn't open his mouth because he's too scared of him. He would just thing we've captured one of his demigods and are dumb enough to think that blackmailing would make him surrender or come and rescue him."

"Kronos can't be that stupid," said Percy.

"Yeah, but Ares has a point. He wouldn't know about Prometheus helping us, and in fact, would think that we took Nakamura away because he was freeing Prometheus!" Athena exclaimed as it hit her.

"You're right," said Zeus. "Well then, the demigods will have to go and capture him."

"I have an idea," said Hades suddenly. "Why don't all four of them take a dip in the Styx?"

"Why only four of them? Why not everyone?" Demeter asked.

Hades snapped his fingers and the demigods could no longer hear anything.

"They can't hear us right now. I don't want them to be swollen-headed. Well, not every demigod can take upon the curse of Achilles. Only the very strongest can. And they are the strongest and bravest demigods I've met. Of course, the rest of them are brave in their own way, but we can't risk the rest of the demigods. And I know in my heart, the four of them will make it through," said Hades.

"He's right," said Athena. "This will give us the winning edge. Annabeth fights well with dagger. She'll do well with close range combat. Thalia is immortal – almost and being invincible would add to her range of arsenal. She will be a powerful fighter. Best at long range combat, but she'll do well in close range too. Nico and Percy will be like storms slashing through the armies. We should do this!"

The gods pictured this. It sounded amazing.

"All right, I'm giving their hearing back to them," Hades announced.

He snapped his fingers again and the demigods rubbed their ears.

"What was that for?" Thalia asked irately.

"Just a private conversation," Hades brushed it off nonchalantly.

"Thalia," said Artemis seriously.

"Yes, my Lady?" Thalia asked.

"Are you willing to bathe in the River Styx?"

Thalia's face displayed shock.

"This question is for all four of you," said Persephone. "Are you courageous enough? It'll give us a fighting edge. But will you do it?"

Nico was the first to answer. The look in his eyes was one that all the demigods recognized. They'd been there before, wanting to impress their parents.

"I will," said Nico.

"Since I've already done it in the book, I'll go ahead," said Percy.

"If Seaweed Brain can, I will," Annabeth decided.

"Everyone's joined the party," Thalia smiled, though her eyes were serious. "How can I be left behind?"

"Its settled then," Zeus declared. "First they take a dip in the Styx, and then they kidnap Ethan Nakamura."

"They should get a taste of what it'll be like," said Demeter.

"We have a chapter on that," Athena told them.

"I'll read," Annabeth offered. "Which one?"

"Well… its Chapter 8, I take the worst bath ever. But there are three chapters before it," Athena trailed off, wondering what to do.

"Are they important?" Dionysus asked impatiently.

"Well, the sixth one is. But the fifth is a small filler, with a few important details, I think," Athena frowned.

"If its small, lets read it," said Annabeth. "Umm… can you change it to Ancient Greek, mom?"

"Sure," Athena replied. She zapped an arc of grey energy and the text changed from English to Ancient Greek.

"**I Drive My Dog Into a Tree," **Annabeth began.

"Mrs. O'Leary," Percy realized.

**Mrs. O'Leary saw me before I saw her, which was a pretty good trick considering she's the size of a garbage truck.**

"You need a better comparison," Hades huffed,

**I walked into the arena, and a wall of darkness slammed into me. "WOOF!"**

**The next thing I knew I was flat on the ground with a huge paw on my chest and an oversize Brillo-pad tongue licking my face.**

A few people laughed.

**"Ow!" I said. "Hey, girl. Good to see you too. Ow!"**

**It took a few minutes for Mrs. O'Leary to calm down and get off me. By then I was pretty much drenched in dog drool.**

"Eew," everyone said in unison.

**She wanted to play fetch, so I picked up a bronze shield and tossed it across the arena. By the way, Mrs. O'Leary is the world's only friendly hellhound.**

"That's right," said Hades.

**I kind of inherited her when her previous owner died. She lived at camp, but Beckendorf… Well, Beckendorf used to take care of her whenever I was gone.**

**He had smelted Mrs. O'Leary's favorite bronze chewing bone.** **He'd forged her collar with the little smiley face and a crossbones nametag. **

"Cute," Hestia smiled.

**Next to me, Beckendorf had been her best friend.**

**Thinking about that made me sad all over again, but I threw the shield a few more times because Mrs. O'Leary insisted.**

**Soon she started barking – a sound slightly louder than artillery gun –**

"_Slightly?_" Nico asked sarcastically.

**like she needed to go for a walk. The other campers didn't think it was funny when she went to the bathroom in the arena.**

"I don't think anyone would think it funny," Hera said disdainfully.

"I would," Apollo chuckled.

"You, my stepson, are an exceptional nutcase," said Hera in a theatrical manner.

"Thank you ma'am," Apollo grinned.

**It had caused more than one unfortunate slip-and-slide accident. **

Percy and Annabeth laughed silently at a few memories and Nico, Hermes and Apollo chuckled, imagining the scene.

**So I opened the gates of the arena, and she bounded straight toward the woods.**

**I jogged after her, not too concerned that she was getting ahead. Nothing in the woods could threaten Mrs. O'Leary.** **Even the dragons and giant scorpions ran away when she came close.**

"Obviously," said Hades, rolling his eyes.

**When I finally tracked her down, she wasn't using the facilities. She was in a familiar clearing where the Council of Cloven Elders had once put Grover on trial.**

"And an unfair one at that," Demeter scowled. She was glad someone at least shared her concern about nature.

**The place didn't look so good. The grass had turned yellow. The three topiary thrones had lost all their leaves.**

"That doesn't sound good," Persephone frowned.

**But that's not what surprised me. In the middle of the glade stood the weirdest trio I'd ever seen: Juniper the tree nymph, Nico di Angelo, and a very old, very fat satyr.**

Nico blushed a little.

"Nico, man, did I hear you're with Juniper?" Percy asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Thalia caught on quickly.

"She's Grover's, you know," she teased.

"It doesn't matter to me!" Nico exclaimed.

"Knock it off, guys," Annabeth grinned. Then she continued.

**Nico was the only one who didn't seem freaked out by Mrs. O'Leary's appearance.**

"I freaking _live _around hellhounds all the time. Why would I be freaked out?" Nico asked.

Percy shrugged.

**He looked pretty much like I'd seen him in my dream-an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it, like one of those Day of the Dead pictures.**

Aphrodite looked at Nico disdainfully.

"You're wearing the same clothes right now," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"No I'm not!" Nico exclaimed.

Aphrodite snapped her fingers.

"Now you aren't," she giggled.

Everyone was chortling crazily.

"GET ME OUT OF THIS STUPID PINK FRILLY FROCK!" Nico screamed.

Aphrodite winced at the volume and Nico was back in his earlier clothes.

"Thank you," he huffed.

**His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. He was only twelve, but he looked much older and sadder.**

"I do?" Nico asked.

No one answered.

**He nodded when he saw me, and then went back to scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears.** **She sniffed his legs like he was the most interesting thing since rib-eye steaks.**

Apollo grinned. "Probably," he drawled.

**Being the son of Hades, he'd probably been traveling in all sorts of hellhound-friendly places.**

**The old satyr didn't look nearly so happy.**

"Of course," said Hestia.

**"Will someone-what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"**

**"Sorry, Leneus," I said. "That's your name, right?"**

"Nice touch at the end, Perce," Hermes grinned. "'That's your name, right?' Must've annoyed him"

**The satyr rolled his eyes. His fur was dust-bunny gray, and a spider web grew between his horns.**

Annabeth and Athena shuddered at the mention of the word _spider_.

**His belly would've made him an invincible bumper car.**

Everyone around the table chuckled.

**"Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly.**

"Why would anyone remember _you," _Hera glared. "Filthy old fat satyr," she muttered.

Zeus watched her in amusement. The changes in her were drastic – and pleasantly so.

**Now, call off your beast!"**

"She isn't a beast!" Poseidon exclaimed indignantly.

**"WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said happily.**

**The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away!**

Ares chuckled. This would've been funny.

**Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"**

"Its probably about Grover," Hephaestus guessed.

**Juniper turned toward me.** **She was pretty in a dryady way, with her purple gossamer dress and her elfish face, but her eyes were green tinted with chlorophyll from crying.**

"Aww," Aphrodite cooed sympathetically.

**"Percy," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I **_**know**_** something happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus-"**

"Leneus is a fool," Demeter scowled.

"That's one thing on which I agree with you," Persephone nodded.

"He needs more cereal!"

"…I don't agree anymore."

**"I told you!" the satyr protested. "You are better off without that traitor."**

"He isn't a traitor!" Thalia called out indignantly.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "You do realize you're talking to the book?"

"Mad people do that," Dionysus supplied.

Thalia just rolled her eyes.

**Juniper stamped her foot." He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"**

"She's got the determination of a huntress," Artemis commented.

_**"WOOF!"**_

**Leneus's knees started knocking. "I ...I won't answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"**

Everyone chuckled. That had to be funny.

**Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up.**

He was making no such effort now. He was laughing hard, so hard that he had a stitch in his side.

**"I'll walk the dog," he volunteered.** **He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.**

**Leneus huffed indignantly and brushed the twigs off his shirt. "Now, as I was trying to explain, young lady, your boyfriend has not sent **_**any **_**reports since we voted him into exile."**

"He wasn't voted into exile," said Poseidon.

**"You **_**tried **_**to vote him into exile," I corrected. "Chiron and Dionysus stopped you."**

**"Bah! They are **_**honorary **_**Council members. It wasn't a proper vote."**

"What did you say?" asked Dionysus, his voice deadly. His eyes burnt dangerously bright with purple fire.

**"I'll tell Dionysus you said that."**

"This satyr better mind his manners or he isn't living any longer," Dionysus threatened.

**Leneus paled. "I only meant ...Now see here, Jackson. This is none of your business."**

"You're a moron," Annabeth told the book, interrupting herself.

**"Grover's my friend," I said. "He wasn't lying to you about Pan' death. I saw it my self. You were just too scared to accept the truth."**

Hermes sighed. "You need to accept it, goat guy."

Apollo's lips quivered. "Goat guy?"

Hermes grinned.

**Leneus's lips quivered.** **"No! Grover's a liar and good riddance. We're better off without him."**

"Shut up!" Percy exclaimed, getting angry.

**I pointed at the withered thrones. "If things are going so well, where are your friends? Looks like your Council hasn't been meeting lately."**

"Bang on!" Demeter backed Percy up.

**"Maron and Silenus ...I ...I'm sure they'll be back," he said, but I could hear the panic in his voice. "They're just taking some time off to think. It's been a very unsettling year.**

"Oh its going to get a lot more unsettling," Poseidon said darkly.

**"It's going to get a lot more unsettling," I promised. "Leneus, we **_**need **_**Grover. There's got to be a way you can find him with your magic."**

**The old satyr's eye twitched. "I'm telling you, I've heard nothing. Perhaps he's dead."**

"How could he _say _that in front of _Juniper_?" Aphrodite asked angrily.

**Juniper choked back a sob. **

**"He's not dead, "I said. "I can feel that much."**

**"Empathy links," Leneus said disdainfully. "Very unreliable."**

"Are not," Apollo huffed.

**"So ask around," I insisted. "Find him. There's a war coming. Grover was preparing the nature spirits."**

**"Without my permission! And it's not **_**our **_**war."**

Zeus looked mad. Some part of the world was experiencing a bad storm.

"WHAT DOES HE MEAN ITS NOT _OUR _WAR?" he boomed.

There came the thunder and lightening in the world below them.

**I grabbed him by the shirt, which seriously wasn't like me, but the stupid old goat was making me mad.**

"This stupid old goat is making everyone mad," Athena said, glaring.

**"Listen, Leneus. When Kronos attacks, he's going to have **_**packs **_**of hellhounds. He's going to destroy everything in his path-mortals, gods, demigods. Do you think he'll let the satyrs go free?**

"Obviously not," Persephone rolled her eyes.

**You're supposed to be a leader. So LEAD. Get out there and see what's happening. Find Grover and bring Juniper some news. Now, GO!"**

**I didn't push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy.** **He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling. **

The gods laughed at the mental image this brought.

"Go Percy!" Annabeth cheered, kissing his cheek.

Percy smiled.

"You should make old, idiotic goat guys see sense more often," Hermes chuckled.

**"Grover will never be accepted! He will die an outcast!"**

"That's what you think," Hera said in a singsong voice, rolling her eyes.

**When he'd disappeared into the bushes, Juniper wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to get you involved. Leneus is still a lord of the Wild. You don't want to make an enemy of him."**

Percy rolled his eyes.

"I've got worse enemies," he said.

**"No problem," I said. "I've got worse enemies than overweight satyrs."**

"Point noted," Ares chuckled.

**Nico walked back to us. "Good job, Percy. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook him up pretty well."**

Aphrodite wrinkled her nose disdainfully and Artemis giggled.

**I was afraid I knew why Nico was here, but I tried for a smile.**

**"Welcome back. Did you come by just to see Juniper?"**

Aphrodite giggled and Nico blushed.

"Now did you, hell boy?" Thalia teased.

**He blushed. "Um, no. That was an accident.** **I kind of… dropped into the middle of their conversation."**

"Because you wanted to be near her," Apollo joined in.

**"He scared us to death!" Juniper said.**

"Right out of the shadows. But, Nico, you

_**are **_**the son of Hades and all. Are you sure you haven't heard anything about Grover?"**

Hades shook his head. "He wouldn't know about nature related beings."

**Nico shifted his weight. "Juniper, like I tried to tell you ...even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."**

**"But if you **_**do **_**hear anything?" she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. **

Percy, Annabeth and Thalia 'oohed'.

**"Anything at all?"**

**Nico's cheeks got even brighter red. **

"Seee," Aphrodite drawled. "You like her!"

"I don't!" Nico exclaimed, all defensive.

**"Uh, you bet. I'll keep my ears open."**

**"We'll find him, Juniper," I promised. "Grover's alive, I'm sure. There must be a simple reason why he hasn't contacted us."**

"He's asleep," said Athena.

**She nodded glumly. "I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I'm stuck here waiting.** **Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt-"**

Hestia chuckled. This tree nymph was sweet.

**Mrs. O'Leary bounded back over and took an interest in Juniper's dress. Juniper yelped. **

**"Oh, no you don't! I know about dogs and trees. I'm gone!"**

**She went **_**poof **_**into green mist. Mrs. O'Leary looked disappointed, but she lumbered off to find another target, leaving Nico and me alone.**

"What will you do _alone_?" Apollo grinned.

"Keep your disgusting mind to yourself," Percy said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Apollo chuckled.

**Nico tapped his sword on the ground. A tiny mound of animal bone erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off.**

"That was randomly cool," Artemis commented.

**"I was sorry to hear about Beckendorf."**

**A lump formed in my throat. "How did you-"**

**"I talked to his ghost."**

**"Oh... right." I'd never get used to the fact that this twelve-year-old kid spent more time talking with the dead than the living. **

'_That'll change now',_ Thalia, Percy and Annabeth promised themselves.

**"Did he say anything?"**

**"He doesn't blame you. He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."**

Hera smiled warmly. This was a demigod with a good heart.

**"Is he going to try for rebirth?"**

**Nico shook his head. "He's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone.**

"Silena," Aphrodite realized.

**Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death."**

"Well… that's good?" said Hestia, not sure what she meant.

**It wasn't much comfort, but it was something.**

**"I had a vision you were on Mount Tam," I told Nico. "Was that-"**

**"Real?" he said. "I didn't mean to be spying on the Titans, but I was in the neighborhood."**

**"Doing what?"**

**Nico tugged at his sword belt. "Following a lead on ...you know, my family."**

"Why don't you just tell me, dad?" Nico asked Hades.

Hades' shoulders sagged. "I'll tell you later."

**I nodded. I knew his past was a painful subject. Until two years ago, he and his sister Bianca had been frozen in time at a place called the Lotus Hotel and Casino.**

**They'd been there for like seventy years. Eventually a mysterious lawyer rescued them and checked them into a boarding school, but Nico had no memories of his life before the casino.** **He didn't know anything about his mother.**

**He didn't know who the lawyer was, **

'_Alecto',_ Hades thought to himself.

**or why they'd been frozen in time or allowed to go free. After Bianca died and left Nico alone, he'd been obsessed with finding answers.**

**"So how did it go?" I asked. "Any luck?"**

**"No," he murmured. "But I may have a new lead soon."**

**"What's the lead?"**

**Nico chewed his lip. "That's not important right now. You know why I'm here."**

Percy sighed. Finally they would get to know how to go over the process.

**A feeling of dread started to build in my chest. Ever since Nico first proposed his plan for beating Kronos last summer, I'd had nightmares about it.**

**He would show up occasionally and press me for an answer, but I kept putting him off.**

**"Nico, I don't know," I said. "It seems pretty extreme."**

"When life becomes extreme, you need to take actions that are extreme," said Ares sagely.

**"You've got Typhon coming in, what ...a week? Most of the other Titans are unleashed now and on Kronos' side. Maybe it's time to think extreme."**

"Great minds think alike," said Nico, high-fiving the god of War.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

**I looked back toward the camp.** **Even from this distance I could hear the Ares and Apollo campers fighting again, yelling curses and spouting bad poetry.**

Hephaestus sighed. "We'll have to take care of that," he said to Aphrodite.

**"They're no match for the Titan army," Nico said.** **"You know that. This comes down to you and Luke. And there's only one way you can beat Luke."**

**I remembered the fight on the **_**Princess Andromeda. **_**I'd been hopelessly outmatched. Kronos had almost killed me with a single cut to my arm, and I couldn't even wound him.** **Riptide had glanced right off his skin.**

"Its only his Achilles heel that's vulnerable," Athena reminded everyone.

**"We can give you the same power," Nico urged. "You heard the Great Prophecy. Unless you want to have your soul reaped by a cursed blade..."**

**I wondered how Nico had heard the prophecy – probably from some ghost.**

"Its impossible to prevent a prophecy," said Apollo shaking his head.

**"You can't prevent a prophecy," I said.**

**"But you can fight it." Nico had a strange, hungry light in his eyes.** **"You can become invincible."**

"I sound like a madman," Nico frowned.

"I'll do a checkup," Dionysus offered. "The price is wine."

"Which is off-limits for you," Zeus reminded him.

Dionysus sighed, pained to be parted from his wife and family – wine.

Everyone snickered.

**"Maybe we should wait. Try to fight without-"**

**"No!" Nico snarled. "It has to be now!"**

"Whoa," said Percy.

**I stared at him. I hadn't seen his temper flare like that in a long time.**

"Something's wrong," said Thalia frowning. "Nico's almost trying to force Percy to do this."

Understanding dawned in Hades' eyes. _'Oh no…',_ he though.

**"Um, you sure you're okay?"**

**He took a deep breath. "Percy, all I mean ...when the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. I'm sorry if I'm being too pushy, but two years ago my sister gave her life to protect you. I want you to honor that. Do whatever it take to stay alive and defeat Kronos."**

Nico frowned. He'd never say something like that to Percy.

**I didn't like the idea. Then I thought about Annabeth calling me a coward, and I got angry.**

"Ultimately I'll make you do it," Annabeth smirked.

**Nico had a point. If Kronos attacked New York, the campers would be no match for his forces. I had to do something. Nico's way was dangerous – maybe even deadly. But it might give me a fighting edge.**

"It will," Hades confirmed.

**"All right," I decided. "What do we do first?"**

**His cold creepy smile made me sorry I'd agreed. "First we'll need to retrace Luke's steps. We need to know more about his past, his childhood."**

"Oh no," Hermes groaned.

**I shuddered, thinking about Rachel's picture from my dream – a smiling nine-year-old Luke. "Why do we need to know about that?"**

**"I'll explain when we get there," Nico said. "I've already tracked down his mother. She lives in Connecticut."**

**I stared at him. I'd never thought much about Luke's mortal parent. I'd met his dad, Hermes, but his mom...**

"We need to know his history," said Athena. "Could you tell us? So that we skip the chapter."

Hermes shook his head.

"I don't have the strength," he said.

Apollo put a hand on his shoulder. "Its okay," he soothed.

**"Luke ran away when he was really young," I said. "I didn't think his mom was alive."**

"She is," said Hermes, his voice muffled by his hands.

**"Oh, she's alive." The way he said it made me wonder what was wrong with her. What kind of horrible person could she be?**

"She isn't horrible!" Hermes exclaimed.

**"Okay... "I said. "So how do we get to Connecticut? I can call Blackjack-"**

**"No." Nico scowled. "Pegasi don't like me and the feeling is mutual.**

"Pegasi rock!" Poseidon exclaimed.

**But there's no need for flying." He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary came loping out of the woods.**

**"Your friend here can help." Nico patted her head.** **"You haven't tried shadow travel yet?"**

"You've learnt?" Hades asked.

Nico nodded proudly.

**"Shadow travel?"**

**Nico whispered in Mrs. O'Leary's ear. She tilted her head, suddenly alert.**

**"Hop on board," Nico told me.**

**I'd never considered riding a dog before, but Mrs. O'Leary was certainly big enough. I climbed onto her back and held her collar.**

**"This will make her very tired," Nico warned, "so you can't do it often. And it works best at night. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."**

"Nice," said Annabeth.

**"I don't understand," I said.**

"Of course, my dear Seaweed Brain," Annabeth chuckled. The way she said 'my dear Seaweed Brain' made Percy's heart beat faster.

**"No," Nico said. "It took me a long time to learn. But Mrs. O'Leary knows. Tell her where to go. Tell her Westport, the home of May Castellan."**

"You're abandoning me?" Percy asked wide-eyed.

**"You're not coming?"**

**"Don't worry," he said. "I'll meet you there."**

**I was a little nervous, but I leaned down to Mrs. O'Leary's ear.**

**"Okay, girl. Uh, can you take me to Westport, Connecticut? May Castellan's place?"**

**Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air. She looked into the gloom of the forest. Then she bounded forward, straight into an oak tree.**

"I drive my dog into a tree," Demeter realized.

**Just before we hit, we passed into shadows as cold as the dark side of the moon.**

"The end," Annabeth announced.

"How would you know how cold that is?" Artemis asked.

"Probably not," Percy admitted.

"So, the next chapter is about May," said Apollo, a little uncomfortable.

"Can we skip it?" Hemes pleaded.

Athena pursed her lips, contemplating.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Its vital."

"Or maybe we have something more important," came a centaur's voice.

"Chiron!" the demigods cried.

The centaur forced himself to smile at them "Hello children," said Chiron. "Lord Apollo, I'm afraid we have a new prophecy."

"A new great prophecy?" Percy exclaimed.

Chiron shook his head. "A prophecy. The Oracle, ah, took a little stroll… to the sword fighting class and announced the prophecy."

"What was it?" Apollo asked urgently. He had a feeling that this would be bad

Chiron began reciting.

"_One child of death, wisdom, thunder and sea,  
>Will risk life and limb, they will be,<br>Stopping the betrayer from telling his master,  
>A secret that would lead to disaster,<br>They will ignite a goddess' rage,  
>In heavy battle they must engage,<br>If one dies, all is lost,  
>He must be saved at any cost,<br>Or it will lead to Olympus' doom,  
>The world will suffer in endless gloom"<em>

There was utter silence. It was only shattered when a camper yelled, "Chiron!"

"I must go now," said Chiron. "I have informed you. Good luck."

And with that, he disconnected the IM.

"Well," said Poseidon. "Looks like there's no time for reading."

"Its war from now," said Ares, a glint of excitement in his eyes. Athena nodded gravely.

"One child of death, wisdom, thunder and sea," said Percy. "That makes no sense. How can _one _child have all those powers?"

"No dummy," said Annabeth, smacking the top of his head lightly. "One child each. That can only be you, Thalia, Nico and me."

"Will risk life and limb, they will be, Stopping the betrayer from telling his master – that has to be stopping Ethan," said Zeus.

"Definitely," Hestia confirmed. "A secret that would lead to disaster. Prometheus' secret, if Kronos knows, it will lead to disaster."

"This is a fairly simple prophecy," said Thalia, surprised. "They will ignite a goddess' rage, In heavy battle they must engage – that means we'll have to fight a goddess."

"That doesn't sound good," Nico muttered.

"If one dies, all is lost," Hades frowned. "Something will happen that'll injure one of you badly. Fatally, maybe."

"He must be saved at any cost," Persephone said. "So whoever is injured will be badly so and he must survive."

"He," Artemis noted. "Its probably a boy."

Apollo nodded. "Prophecies are usually gender specific."

"Or it will lead to Olympus' doom, The world will suffer in endless gloom," Hephaestus finished. "So if even _one _person dies, we can kiss our chances of winning against Kronos goodbye."

"Well, the prophecy may have been simple, but the challenges definitely are not," said Aphrodite.

"They sure are," Nico muttered.

"_Di immortales," _Athena cursed. "You need to fight a goddess and you don't have the time to dip in the Styx."

"Well, I guess we'll have to go without that," Thalia shrugged, though invincibility on their side would have been good.

"Come on," said Apollo. "I'll help you get prepared. You'll be needing medical supplies."

Athena nodded. "Before you go," she started.

"Yeah?" Annabeth asked.

"Remember, all four of you have my blessing," she said. A grey-silver glow surrounded them for a moment and then it disappeared.

"Mine too," said Artemis, quickly realizing this would enhance their powers. A cool, silver aura surrounded them and then faded.

"May you have plenty food on your journey," Demeter said and a golden brown light surrounded them.

"Have the strength to fight the goddess," said Ares.

"Find a safe shelter for yourselves," Hestia blessed.

"You will have safe passage through the skies," Zeus promised.

"And through the sea," Poseidon added.

"I'll help you communicate," Hermes promised.

"Survive this and I'll heal all your wounds, however great they may be," said Apollo somberly.

"Live together like a _perfect _family." That was Hera, of course.

"May you have beauty and charm on your side," said Aphrodite.

"Any automatons you come across will help you," Hephaestus promised.

"May the dead rise to help you," said Hades.

"The wild vegetation will be of more help to you than you imagined," Persephone told them.

"Oh I suppose I'll have to do this too," Dionysus muttered. "Bless you."

After the final purple glow surrounded them, they set out with Apollo to face untold evil.

* * *

><p><strong>Finish! Do you want me to do all the other chapters in the book or skip and do what I need to to make the story go on? I need replies fast to continue! Read and review please! <strong>

**I would've made this longer but I didn't have time. The next chapter will be very interesting, I promise.**

**Remember to check out the _Noticeboard _on my profile!**

**Love you guys!**

**-ITOR**


	7. The quest

**Hi everyone! **

**You can skip this AN if you want to because its going to be long, although I doubt anyone really **_**does **_**read these in the first place.**

**Now, first off**

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I got nothing that I'd expected. I was like, give me 65-70 reviews and I'll grant you a fast update. I had 55 reviews at that time. I got 20 reviews in a day and got 75 reviews! 20 IN A DAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I now have a total of 79 reviews. I know I said I'd update fast, but I am so sorry, I got caught up with stuff and the story got delayed =(**

**To make up for it, here's a chapter that's taken a **_**lot **_**of effort. For starters, I'm not good at action and suspense. I had to take the time to think through every single thing I wrote (normally I just let my hands do all the work because it comes naturally, I write what I'm thinking, but if something needs to be done really well, I need to think about it).**

**Since most people wanted all the chapters to be read, I will be doing that, but the order may be a little messed up. For instance, if I were to write this quest and the next chapter in The Last Olympian together, it would've been way too long, so its two different chapters. I hope that's okay with everybody.**

**Secondly, the next update may not be too quick (winces). That's because I have two other stories to write for (Love:Laughter:Change hasn't been update for almost two weeks, I **_**finally **_**got rid of my writer's block and need to update So close, Yet so far real soon because I haven't written it in what, three weeks?) and I'll be busy this weekend and probably the rest of the next week. Sorry people who read the other stories as well! **

**However, I **_**will **_**write the next chapter in this story as soon as I'm done writing one chapter each for the other two stories. That's a promise. **

**Small requests: **

**1) Check out the **_**Noticeboard **_**on my profile page!**

**2) Review please! Reviews are motivational! And inspirational! **

**Finally, I'd like to thank:**

**littleguitar94, Max Ride Rocks, twilightstargazer, Assassins Stole My Pants, ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm, JasonxPiper forever, Confused-Feelings, EPICThunder, LaVerite, Starya29 and sexytorchy for adding this story to your Story Alert lists!**

**Nashtalon, littleguitar94, Max Ride Rocks, dancerr2000, dang3rOusbunnY956, Ewang1, ReadingXxFreak, PERCY JACKSON hero of olympus, ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm, JasonxPiper forever, Confused-Feelings, EPICThunder, AcaciaBruinz, Starya29, pjotho4life, DragenMoon15171825 and percykicksbutts for adding this story to your Favourite Stories lists!**

**My reviewers:**

**melandu95****: Merci beaucoup! S'il vous plaît pardonnez une erreurs que je fais dans mon français parce que je ne connais pas beaucoup le français, juste un peu mots et des phrases mais je veux apprendre et sera mettre faire bientôt. Actuellement, je suis l'aide de Google Translate. Voici la prochaine mise à jour! Je vous remercie pour revue :D**

_**English**_**: Thank you so much! Please pardon any errors I make in my French because I do not know much French, just a few words and phrases but I want to learn and will do so soon. Currently I am using Google Translate. Here is the next update! Thank you for your review :D**

**Bigfananime****: Sure, I will be doing that. **

**NivMizzet6977****: Nemesis is a female; she's the goddess of revenge. Mhmm… I wont be revealing anything to you. I was wondering, are you Athena's kid? ;) **

**persues peverell: ****Will do!**

**Tempest Cain:**** Thanks! It took me half an hour to write it and I thought it sucked! What I did was first write in order and brief sentences what I wanted to happen in the quest and then put it into poetry. Haha, I miss my brother. I think the kid I told you about is dead :O I hope so too ;)**

**Bigfananime (again):**** I'll try my best (evil grin)**

**lalagirl: ****Sure**

**shirrley:****Aww :D You don't need to thank me, I'm thanking you! Keep reading :D**

**Mytical-Mist-Devil:**** Thanks! But umm… video memory thing? Can you explain that because I didn't quite get it. **

**chloexo:**** :D Thanks!**

**Demigod at Heart:**** I will! Thank you!**

**twilightstargazer:**** Thanks!**

**Anime Princess:**** Well, originally I wasn't going to read **_**all **_**the chapters because that would make the FanFic way too long but if most everyone wants that… sure, why not? Lets see what they do ;) **

**i am a stalker of good books:**** Haha, thanks for all three reviews! Sorry this took long, but I hope it was worth the wait!**

**Sabine8195****: Thank you! Nemisis…mmm…lets see. And yeah, I know. I was getting sick of writing blue glow, pink glow, silver glow blah blah blah so I speeded it up lol. Haha yeah, I know, that shocked me. I was screaming that I've got 75 reviews all around the place in the middle of the night! It was awesome!**

**HermesPotter:**** You are very welcome! Your reviews and enthusiasm makes me feel special, so you deserved it :) I hope the e-mail didn't distract you from schoolwork ;) Thanks! It took half an hour and loads of rough drafts. Finally I got it right! Not really, but then I never had a plan for the story except for the basic idea I'm following. Even now, I just have the prophecy and a few scenes and snippets I definitely want to include in the quest and the chapter will come by on its own. I usually don't plan ahead. So its more like it happens on its own, even I don't know where this will go. I surprised myself with the Prometheus thing, so Athena **_**had **_**to end up revealing everything because the danger had begun. Thanks, yeah, I started using that for every story, though it'll be a tedious job to right all the other chapters. Ooh, cool :D Yeah, I know, I read. I hope your writer's block goes away soon and academics pick up. Best of luck!**

**AnnabethChaserocks****: The only reason I didn't want to do all the chapters in TLO was because it would become too long, but since most people want it, I'll end up doing it. Though my own plot will unfold side by side, so it'll still be different!**

**MOCHE MOCHE MOO MOO****: First off, your name had me cracking up. Sup, moche moche moo moo? Lol xD Thanks! I don't know what its called, but yes, it is something like that.**

**ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm:**** Sure, will do. That was such a great chapter! Rick should've elaborated :( That had been my only regret.**

**JasonxPiper forever: ****Thanks! **

**i am a stalker of good books (fourth review):**** Thank you SO much for all your reviews! :D :D Here's the storyyy!**

**Alexa-Angel:**** Thanks! Lets find out :D**

**nicopwnz and artemisluver: Thank you for all your wonderful ideas! I'm afraid I'm done with the story right now, but I'll surely use these in future stories! I can't do the second one though as most people don't want me to skip chapters. Still, thanks! I guess you're a bank of ideas, huh? ;)  
><strong>

**Phew. That finishes the review replies. Now, last, but not the least:**

**Thank you Tempest Cain, nova bomb (although I don't know which story you read!), ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm, and EPICThunder for adding me to your Author Alert lists! **

**And, THANK YOU Tempest Cain, ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm, EPICThunder and pjotho4life for adding me to your Favourite Author's lists!**

**All these reviews, Author/Story alerts, Favourite Author/Story etc. really motivate me a lot! Thank you very much!**

**PS: I've researched a lot for this chapter. For example, how to make a bullet, types of bullets, etc. However, the material may not be completely correct (eg. About how the jacket of a bullet is made). This is a purely fictional piece of work, and I'm no arms expert, so it may not be correct. 'Cause I just used common sense there.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't put it in every chapter. I put it only when I remember to. But you know it. I'm not Rick Riordan. I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians much as I'd like to.**

**And now, without further delay, here's the story!**

* * *

><p>The four demigods were transported to Apollo's chamber. He wasn't smiling or joking around. Instead, he was staring at Thalia with an intense, unfathomable expression. She continuously looked down at the floor, but she was well aware of his eyes on her. Annabeth, Percy and Nico were feeling slightly uncomfortable at the tension in the room.<p>

Apollo continued to stare at Thalia long after they'd reached.

Nico cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Lord Apollo," he said. "We're here."

Apollo unwillingly tore his gaze off Thalia's face.

"Right," he said. He stood for a moment and then collected himself.

"Right," he said again, this time throwing a backpack each at the demigods.

"We already have backpacks," said Percy.

"They're magical. Store as much as you want, are very light," Apollo responded, a dead look on his face.

Everyone, especially Thalia, was seriously starting to get worried.

"We already have these," she said softly.

"Yeah, this is the latest version. Hermes got these a few days ago. They're camouflage bags as well. They change colour according to your surrounding. And the special pocket on the side, its cool. The more monsters you slay, the more cash and drachmas you get. Its got a track keeper too, so we know how much cash you have and how many monsters have come your way."

Even as he said that, he didn't smile, though he normally would've made quite a few jokes. "Athena's idea," he finished.

"What's wrong?" Thalia whispered, touching Apollo's cheek with her hand. That broke his mask of numbness; you could see the anguish plainly in his features. He pulled Thalia close. Thalia felt warm tears cascading down her chest, soaking her t-shirt.

The other demigods could do nothing but stare at the normally cheerful god of the sun in horror. He never looked so vulnerable. What the Hades was going on?

"Apollo?" Thalia asked, pulling back to wipe his tears away. "What's the matter?"

He looked right into her eyes, and Thalia felt naked, exposed. It was like he could see everything in her, like he knew every thought she'd ever thought, every feeling she'd ever felt. And she could feel his pain, anguish – and fear. Though why he should feel so afraid was beyond her. She suddenly remembered the cheesy dialogue she'd once scoffed at – "The eyes are the windows to the soul". Right now, she believed every word of that quote.

"Remember every single blessing you've been given, Thalia," he whispered intensely, clutching her hand tightly. Thalia nodded.

"Promise me you will!" he almost growled.

"I promise," Thalia replied in a small voice. That seemed to calm him down a little bit.

"Remember everything you've learnt with the Hunters," he continued. "Everything," he stressed.

"I will."

Now he turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth."

"Yes?" the demigod in question asked, a little scared of Apollo at the moment.

"You've been at camp for a long time. Remember all you've learnt. Make use of it. Think through everything before you do it."

Annabeth nodded.

Apollo finally straightened up; the dead look returning to his face.

"Good."

He proceeded to pack plenty of nectar, ambrosia and other liquids and powders that the demigods had never seen before into their backpacks.

"What's this?" asked Percy, holding up a bottle full of a fascinating purple liquid that looked tempting to drink.

"Dionysus made that," Apollo replied. "Its a special wine that – NO DON'T!"

But it was too late. Percy had already had a sip of the wine, and was finding out what it did.

"CAN SOMEONE HELP ME STOP TAP DANCING?" he screamed as everyone else cracked up, even Apollo. Trust Percy to goof up and lighten the atmosphere.

"It'll wear of by itself in half an hour if you only had a sip," Apollo chuckled.

"HALF A FREAKING HOUR?" Percy wailed, unable to stop the clicking of his heels and tapping of his feet.

"Aww c'mon Perce, you're doing great!" Nico chuckled. Percy made a sound that resembled a Telekhine growling.

"Does Percy love quests so much that he's dancing to celebrate one?" came an amused voice from behind them. Hermes shimmered into existence.

"No! Stupid magic potion thing!" Percy moaned.

"It _is _a great idea. It would help lopping of monster limbs," Annabeth giggled.

Hermes laughed.

"Right, guys, while Percy's busy dancing, I've got presents for you people," the messenger of the gods announced.

"Santa Claus," Thalia muttered. She was highly suspicious. _All _the gods blessed them. Apollo was freaking out as if something terrible was going to happen. And now _gifts _from the gods? She had a bad feeling that this quest would not have a happy ending.

"Okay, firstly, obviously your parents have presents. Nico, here's a miniature version of Hades' helm of darkness," Hermes began.

"HELM OF DARKNESS?" Nico exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Yep," Hermes replied, popping his lips at the 'p'.

"Whoa, hell boy," said Thalia, impressed. The wonders that one throne on Olympus had done to a certain grumpy god…

Nico almost fainted with pleasure.

"Hey Thalia, catch. Ow, this is hot!" Hermes cried out and passed a lightning bolt, crackling with energy to Thalia.

"A copy of the Master Bolt?" Annabeth asked, awed.

"No," Thalia replied. The bolt felt perfect in her hand. It didn't burn her; it just felt like it belonged there. "It isn't as powerful. But its great!"

"Annabeth, here's a gift from Persephone and your mother. It's a book on, um, flowers and wild herbs," said Hermes.

"What will I do with that?" asked Annabeth, disappointed. She'd expected a better gift.

Hermes shrugged. "No idea."

"Tap dancer, your father sent you this," Hermes grinned. He pulled out a tiny conch horn bead.

"A bead," said Percy flatly.

"He said when the time is right, you'll know what to do with it," Hermes explained.

"Okayy," Percy replied, narrowly missing hitting Apollo's Xbox.

"Oh, I forgot!" Hermes exclaimed. "This is a combined gift from Hera, Hestia, Demeter and Artemis."

"A tent?" Thalia asked.

"Which is big enough to fit all four of you, has an inbuilt kitchen and fridge magically stocked with an unlimited supply of food and is protected by all the creatures of the wild," Hermes finished.

"Wow," said Nico.

"Yeah. That's it," said Hermes, closing his bag. "Annabeth, your mother said it's a good idea to write down what blessings you've been given and consider them carefully."

Annabeth nodded. "I'll do that."

By now, Percy had stopped tap dancing. "What for?"

"So that you remember everything," Apollo replied, his eyes hard again. "Its vital in your quest."

"Apollo, what's going to happen? Why are you so stressed?" Thalia demanded, finally unable to stay in the dark.

"Just be safe," Apollo whispered, looking like he might break down again.

"But what's wrong?" Thalia persisted.

"I wish I could tell you. Just – be careful."

Thalia left it at that.

"Okay guys, listen up," Annabeth announced.

"The gods' blessings:

Athena blessed us. Hopefully, we'll be more intelligent than we normally are. However, I can't be sure because Percy's still a Seaweed Brain."

Percy pouted at that. Annabeth continued.

"Artemis blessed us too. Demeter said we'd have enough food on our journey, and probably will, thanks to the tent. Ares blessed us with more strength, hopefully enough to defeat a goddess. Hestia said we'd have a safe shelter, and she's given it to us with the tent. Zeus and Poseidon promised safe passage through the sky and sea respectively. Hermes said he'd help us communicate. Apollo said that, well, if we survive this, he'd heal all our wounds."

The demigods grimaced. The 'if' wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Hera told us to live together like a perfect family… which is probably why she gave us a tent big enough for all of us," Annabeth mused.

"Aphrodite said we'd have beauty and charm on our side and Hephaestus promised that automatons will help us. Hades said that the dead would rise to help us and Persephone reminded us that the wild plants will help us more than we thought. And Dionysus reluctantly gave us his blessings too. So, that's it," she finished.

Apollo closed his eyes, his forehead creasing with worry.

"You don't have much time," he said.

Hermes nodded. "Come on. I'll drive you to the airport."

Thalia . Planes. _Heights_.

"Um, that isn't exactly safe for me and Nico," Percy pointed out.

"Well, Zeus promised you safe passage through air," Hermes contradicted.

"Okay then," said Nico cheerfully. He was elated at getting a miniature version of his father's Helm of Darkness.

"Thalia?" said Apollo quietly.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"Can you wait for a minute?"

"Um…sure," she replied uncertainly. "You go guys," she told the others.

Annabeth shot her a questioning look, Percy looked confused while Hermes had a look of understanding on his face, and Nico, well, he was too happy to notice anything.

Finally, the two of them were alone in the room.

"What is it, Apollo?" Thalia asked softly.

Apollo ignored her question. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Thalia was surprised at the intensity of his emotions. Sure, he'd always flirted with her, but this was different. It was serious. It was like… no, she refused to believe it. Apollo had no reason to be in _love _with her. The thought made her feel sad. She pushed it out of her mind and instead concentrated on his arms around her, the warmth, the feeling of comfort and safety that surrounded her.

Apollo pulled away and took her face in his hands.

"I want you to be safe," he whispered, each word clear and serious, meaningful.

Thalia opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by his soft lips on hers. She felt like she was melting in his arms. The kiss started off slow and sweet but then grew more urgent and passionate. Thalia wound her fingers in his hair as his hold tightened around her waist. They didn't see it, lost in the moment, but they were surrounded by a golden glow so bright it could have blinded anyone.

Finally, Apollo broke the kiss. Thalia caressed his cheek with her hand.

"Apollo…"

"Don't worry. Artemis won't do anything. Not this time. You haven't broken your vow. You're still the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis," said Apollo, a hard edge creeping into his voice when he said the last sentence.

"I'm not afraid of that," Thalia replied.

"That's good," said Apollo. "Now you need to go," he murmured.

"Bye," she whispered and kissed his cheek as a gesture of farewell. Wordlessly, she turned and Apollo watched her walk out of the room.

The rest of the demigods were waiting outside for her.

"You okay?" asked Percy uncertainly. Thalia nodded. She wiped a tear that had managed to spill down her cheek.

"Thalia…" Annabeth began.

"Lets go," said Thalia determinedly, wiping away the last of her tears. She wouldn't let any harm come to Apollo. His kiss had given her the determination to move on. She was going to finish this quest successfully, even if it killed her.

The confidence emitting from her calmed Annabeth down. Slowly, Annabeth nodded and followed her.

* * *

><p>"Hermes, you're a maniac driver!" Thalia yelled as they zipped along the roads, the view just a blur of colours.<p>

"Well I'm sorry you need to get to La Guardia Airport in half an hour and it's a one hour long drive to the airport! And you cant afford to miss the flight because it takes six hours to get to San Francisco and if you wait any longer, Nakamura would've told Kronos about Prometheus and we'd all be waiting for our impending doom!" Hermes yelled back.

"Watch out!" Annabeth screeched as the car almost banged into a truck but swerved away at the last minute.

"You remember the line in the prophecy? The one that says – One child of death, wisdom, thunder and sea, Will risk life and limb, they will be," Percy called out to Hermes.

"Yeah," Hermes replied.

"Well I think the Oracle meant we'd be risking life and limb by hiring _you _as a driver!" Percy screamed as they narrowly missed another car.

"Guys, relax, I have it under control!" Hermes told them.

"Yeah well, you could probably walk away from here if we crashed. We're the ones who'd become a demigod sandwich!" Nico shouted.

Hermes rolled his eyes and turned to look at the demigods, their faces white as snow.

"Relax, guys," he started off, but was cut off by all four of them simultaneously screaming at him to keep his eyes on the road.

Finally, the five of them made it to the airport unscathed.

"Umm… Thalia, can you like, look like an older girl?" Percy asked. "It would kind of make it easier to get inside without raising suspicion if we had an adult with us."

"She can pretend to be your mother!" Hermes grinned. Thalia scowled but nodded.

"I can do that. It'll be easier."

With that, she became a blur of silver until she looked like an attractive middle-aged woman.

"Lets go, children," she said in a sickly sweet voice that had everyone cracking up.

"Good luck," said Hermes seriously. "You'll need it. And you know you can contact us any time. Iris and I have created a separate line only for you four IMing to people."

The demigods nodded.

"While you all are on this quest, the rest of us gods will be working on other stuff, like war strategies and making uglyface . com," Hermes grinned.

The four thanked Hermes and walked into the airport.

* * *

><p>"First class," Nico grinned. "This is sweet."<p>

Percy and Annabeth sat next to each other and Nico and Thalia sat right behind them.

A pretty airhostess came to each and every passenger to welcome them.

The usual announcements began and the four of them buckled their seatbelts, Thalia clutching the sides of her seat tightly.

Nico noticed it but said nothing. He knew it would only succeed in enraging Thalia if he let her know that he knew about her fear of heights. Instead, as soon as the airhostess announced it was safe to use electronic devices, Nico pulled out a CD.

"Check this out!" he said, waving it in Thalia's face.

She stared at it for a moment and then…

"AWESOME AS FUCK!" she cried out. The passengers turned to give her weird looks.

"Not so loud, honey," a young woman told her. She had black hair and a face that looked like she was one of those sickly sweet people who were downright nasty on the inside. Thalia felt like she'd seen her somewhere.

"No cursing in public places," she reprimanded.

"Sorry," Thalia replied uncaringly.

She whisper-screamed to Nico.

"Awesome as Fuck!"

Nico grinned.

"Yep. The new Green Day live album! And I've got a small DVD player too!"

Thalia was delighted.

"What are you waiting for, hell boy?" she exclaimed. "I want to see Billy Joe!"

"He's cool," Nico commented.

"He's Awesome as Fuck!"

"Oh cut it out. I don't want to hear you rant and rave about how awesome he is," Nico chuckled.

"What's up, guys?" Percy asked them, turning around to see what they were doing.

"Awesome as Fuck!" Thalia replied.

Annabeth blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Awesome as Fuck," Thalia sighed impatiently as Nico popped the DVD in. "Its Green Day's new live album. Green Day is a punk rock band."

"Okay-y," Percy replied and turned back to Annabeth.

"And now they'll do all their lovey-dovey stuff," Nico snickered. A hand smacked Nico on the back of his head.

"What was that for, Annabeth?" he cried.

"Shut your trap."

"Fine."

Annabeth rested her head on Percy's shoulder. He automatically put his arm around her.

"They're so similar," she commented.

"Who?" Percy asked.

"Nico and Thalia," Annabeth replied. "Look at them banging their heads to the music."

Percy chuckled. "I don't need to. Can't you hear them singing? 'Do you know your enemy, do you know your enemy well gotta know your enemy oway'."

Annabeth giggled. They sounded like a couple of frogs with a bad throat – specifically Nico.

As her attention was diverted, she sighed and worry creased her forehead.

"What's the matter?" Percy asked softly.

"The Prophecy worries me, Percy," she whispered.

"You want to talk it out?" he asked her. He knew it often helped Annabeth calm down when she had a plan or idea ready.

She nodded gratefully. She pulled out a pen and paper and scribbled down the prophecy leaving some space in between every line.

**One child of death, wisdom, thunder and sea,  
>Will risk life and limb, they will be,<br>Stopping the betrayer from telling his master,  
>A secret that would lead to disaster,<br>They will ignite a goddess' rage,  
>In heavy battle they must engage,<br>If one dies, all is lost,  
>He must be saved at any cost,<br>Or it will lead to Olympus' doom,  
>The world will suffer in endless gloom.<strong>

"We are the four children. The betrayer is Ethan. The secret is Prometheus helping us. And if even one of us four dies, Olympus will be doomed. But who is the goddess whose rage we'll ignite?"

"I don't know. Probably one of the minor goddesses as the Olympians are on our side," Percy replied.

"And Percy, you and Nico have to be careful," Annabeth warned. "One of you is going to get fatally hurt."

" I will," Percy promised. "Now just chillax, Wise Girl, and keep quiet and listen."

Annabeth was puzzled but she listened to him. Immediately, she was glad she listened. Nico and Thalia were singing again, both of them mimicking playing a guitar.

"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known, Don't know where it goes, but its home to me and I walk alone," Nico sang.

"I walk this empty street, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone," Thalia continued.

The two of them hummed the instrumental part and then continued.

"I walk alone, I walk alone, I walk alone, I walk a…"

"My shadow's the only one that walks besides me!"

"My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating!"

"Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me!"

And together," Till then I walk alone!"

Finally, Percy and Annabeth couldn't take it anymore. They burst out laughing.

Annabeth pulled out their earphones.

"Guys, keep your volumes low!" she panted.

"You're hilarious!" Percy gasped out.

Nico and Thalia ignored them but stopped singing.

The rest of the flight passed in a similar manner, with Nico and Thalia listening to music and talking about the kind of stuff that interested them and Percy and Annabeth talking, being "lovey-dovey" as Nico called it and occasionally dozing off.

At last, the airhostess announced that the flight was about to land.

"Finally," Percy yawned and stretched.

"And the challenge begins now," Thalia muttered as soon as they were off the plane and in the airport.

"Why do you say so?" Annabeth asked her.

"Because we only have safe passage in the air and sea. On the ground, we're on our own."

"Besides, there's a woman with black hair shadowing us," Nico added. He frowned. "I've seen her somewhere. She looks really familiar."

Thalia was immediately alert. "What does she look like?" she asked urgently.

"Well, the black hair, and the kind of face that's like, you know, pretending to be oh-so-sweet and evil on the inside," Nico replied. On an afterthought he added, "Like a fury."

Percy wheeled around sharply. She did indeed look like his Maths teacher , but not the same. Still, he supposed she could change her appearance.

"It can't be," Annabeth whispered. "Hades is helping us!"

"Unless…" Nico trailed off.

"Unless the Furies are on Kronos' side," Annabeth finished grimly.

"Oh no," Percy moaned.

"Okay, here's the plan," Annabeth whispered. "Lets head to my house, freshen up and go to Mount Orthrys with a good strategy."

"Sounds good to me," Nico replied.

"_Vlacas_," Thalia muttered to herself. "We need to get past the Garden of Hesperides and Ladon to get to Mount Orthrys!"

Percy gulped. That had been hard enough with an ex – hesperide with them. What were their chances now?

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Its in the way," Percy shrugged.

"How do you know?"

"We had to travel that way to save Lady Artemis," the daughter of Zeus replied. Percy could tell she was thinking about Zoe.

"It's the year Bianca died," Nico added quietly.

Silence ensued after that, as the demigods, lost in their own thoughts hailed a cab and went to Professor Chase's home.

* * *

><p>Annabeth rang the bell of her house.<p>

"Yes?" an absent-minded professor with intense brown eyes opened the door. Annabeth flew at him in a bear hug.

"Dad!" she exclaimed. Professor Chase returned her embrace.

"Annabeth! I'm so glad to see you here!"

Annabeth pulled away.

"Oh, I almost forgot, these are my friends –

"Percy and Thalia," her father interrupted, shaking hands with them. "Though I don't know that young man there."

"That's Nico," Annabeth replied.

Professor Chase shook hands with him. "Hello, young man."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nico replied formally.

"Fredrick!" a female voice called out. "Who is at the door?"

"Its Annabeth and her friends!" Professor Chase replied.

Mrs. Chase bustled to the door. She was a pretty young Asian woman with brown eyes and red highlighted hair.

"I'm glad to see you, Annabeth. Why don't you and your friends come in?"

"Thanks," Annabeth replied, smiling tentatively. She still was wary of her stepmother.

"Lets sit in the living room," Annabeth's father told them. They followed him to the living room of the house, messy as usual.

"Are you staying for some time?" her father asked Annabeth, looking hopeful.

She shook her head. "Sorry, Dad. We're here in San Francisco on a quest."

"Oh," he said and his face fell. "Do you, by any chance, need a Sopwith Camel?"

Percy and Thalia grinned.

"That was really cool of you, sir," Percy told him.

"Anything for my daughter," Fredrick Chase smiled, and Annabeth blushed.

"No, well, we actually wanted a place to just sit and plan," Annabeth told him.

"And while she was here, she wanted to visit family," Percy added, knowing that he was right.

"That's right," Annabeth smiled. Mrs. Chase brought some cookies and milk.

"…Mom," said Annabeth hesitantly. "Dad."

"Yeah?" Fredrick asked.

"Well, I wanted to introduce you to my_ boyfriend_ – Percy Jackson," said Annabeth, taking Percy's hand.

Professor Chase studied him critically for a moment, and then smiled. "Congratulations!"

"We must celebrate later," Mrs. Chase added, looking equally happy for her stepdaughter.

"Thank you," said Annabeth smiling.

"So, Percy, you're the son of…?" Annabeth's dad asked.

"Poseidon," Percy grinned.

Professor Chase raised an eyebrow.

"Poseidon? How did you ever manage to get Athena's approval?"

Nico chuckled. "Love conquers all," he said dramatically.

Professor Chase grinned too. "I suppose so." He paused, and then said, almost wistfully, "Well, well, my little Annabeth's growing up."

Annabeth hugged her father. "I'll always be _your little Annabeth_, Dad."

Professor Chase smiled.

Thalia looked outside the window. "Judging by the scene, I'd bet there's no more than two hours to sunset," she said urgently.

Annabeth was immediately business like.

"Okay," she began, taking up the planning just as her mother did at Olympus. "First, how do we get to Mount Orthrys?"

"We'll have to pass through the Garden of Hesperides," Thalia sighed.

"I have a better idea," Percy said. Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"And what is that?"

"Lets fly."

Annabeth considered it. "Its fast…"

"Ah, my dears, I'm afraid there's a problem with that," Fredrick Chase told them. "I sort of had to sell those Sopwith Camels because of financial problems. Besides, I'm the only one who can fly them. And anyway, it's a single seat biplane."

"Then we need a plan to pass Ladon," Thalia sighed.

"What is this quest all about?" Annabeth's dad asked them.

"We sort of need to kidnap a demigod who's on the enemy side because he'd tell Kronos that Prometheus had been helping us which would alert Kronos that the gods are aware of his plans. That's why we're here. We need to get him from Mount Orthrys – or Mount Tamalpais as everyone knows it," Annabeth explained. "To pass to the mountain, we need to cross the garden of the Hesperides."

"Ladon… garden of the Hesperides… I've heard of it. Hercules had gone there, hadn't he?" Professor Chase asked..

Annabeth nodded. "The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset. The garden has the Apples of Immortality, Zeus' wedding gift to Hera. Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon guards it. We need to get past him to get to the Mountain of despair."

"How do we distract Ladon?" Thalia asked. "Zoe…" her voice quivered.

The demigods and Professor Chase pondered upon it silently.

Suddenly, Fredrick Chase smiled.

"How about Celestial Bronze bullets?" he suggested. "A gun would be a lot faster than a sword or arrow. How about two of you distract this Ladon first and the other two get to a safe distance before they start firing long range at him and the first two make a run for it?"

There was silence in the room.

"Dad, you're a genius!" Annabeth shrieked and threw her arms around him. Her father looked proud.

"It's a great idea, Professor Chase," said Thalia. "We can modify it a bit, though."

Annabeth nodded. "We have a helm of darkness and lightning bolt on our side too."

"Wow!" Fredrick Chase exclaimed. Thalia and Nico looked proud.

"Listen up carefully, everyone."

Everyone turned to Annabeth, ready to give their full attention to her.

"We split into two groups, Nico and me in the first one and Thalia and Percy in the second. Nico can use his Helm of Darkness to scare Ladon away from Percy and Thalia and they'll make a run for it to the other side. Then, Thalia can use her bolt to shock Ladon while Nico and I run to you and we cross over," Annabeth finished.

"It's a little risky still," Nico pointed out. Annabeth shrugged. "That'll always be there."

"Or maybe not," said Percy, grinning evilly. "How about this? Nico scares Ladon with his Helm of Darkness. We shoot celestial bronze bullets full of the wine that made me start tap dancing –

"You were tap dancing?" his girlfriend's father asked, amused. Everyone else chuckled as Percy grimaced and continued.

"Into Ladon's mouth. One sip had me tap dancing for half an hour. The whole bottle will have him –

"Tap dancing for half an hour," Thalia finished. "Remember, the bigger the monster, the more of magic you'll need."

"Whatever. We have enough!" said Percy impatiently.

"Sounds good to me," said Professor Chase.

"Besides, I'd do anything to see that dragon tap dance," Thalia grinned.

Annabeth's father glanced at the clock. "Well, we better get going," he said. "Its going to take a while to make those bullets."

* * *

><p>The five of them – Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Thalia and Professor Chase were in Professor Chase's study.<p>

"We're going to be making an incendiary bullet," Professor Chase announced. "These bullets are made with an explosive or flammable mixture in the tip that is designed to ignite on contact with a target. The intent is to ignite fuel in the target area, thereby adding to the destructive power of the bullet itself. In simpler words, these bullets have an explosive or flammable mixture in the tip that burns on contact with a target. Here, we're going to create the bullet out of Celestial Bronze and the tip will have the wine that Percy was talking about."

"Lets do it," said Percy.

Professor Chase nodded. "Your job is simple. Just pour the liquid into the tip of the bullet and seal it. The machine will create the body of the bullet. Luckily, I didn't throw it away. Now, any questions?"

Nico raised his hand, feeling like he was a child in a classroom. "Where will you get the Celestial Bronze from?"

Professor Chase stared at him for a moment and then smacked his forehead with his hand. "I'm out of Celestial Bronze."

Annabeth started fumbling around in her pockets. "Does anyone have a drachma?"

Nico fished one out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "Here."

"We need a fine mist," she said.

"No problem," Percy told her. "I've practiced this."

He closed his eyes and concentrated, holding out his hands. The sunlight streamed in and touched the fine spray of water coming out from Percy's hand and created a mist. Annabeth quickly tossed the drachma in.

"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Hermes," said Annabeth.

The mist shimmered and Hermes' face appeared.

"Hermes," said Annabeth urgently.

"Hey guys! I'm glad you're safe. What's up?"

"Making celestial bronze and tap dance wine bullets," Percy grinned.

Hermes looked at them approvingly. "Great idea!"

"Except, we have a problem," Thalia told him. Hermes frowned.

"What?"

"We have no celestial bronze!" Nico exclaimed.

"No problem," Hermes told them. "I'll just add Hephaestus on the line."

Hermes created a rainbow, tossed a drachma and added Hephaestus to the connection. Hephaestus was listening to Aphrodite's speech about sensitivity.

"Hermes. What is it?" he asked.

"Hephaestus, you got any celestial bronze to spare?" Hermes asked.

Hephaestus looked puzzled. "Sure. But why do you need it?"

Hermes jerked his thumb towards the IM that connected the demigods to him.

"They're creating celestial bronze and tap dance wine bullets," Hermes grinned.

"Ingenious," Hephaestus commented, smiling at the demigods. "It's a good idea. What do you need them for?"

"Defeating Ladon," Annabeth explained impatiently. "When it bursts in his mouth, he'll start tap dancing and we can get away."

Hephaestus laughed. There was a tinkling sound.

"Celestial bronze in your backpack. And plenty of drachmas. Make sure to broadcast this live to Olympus when you do it," Hephaestus said, his eyes twinkling.

"Sure," Nico grinned. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Hermes told them. Then he was serious. "Now go and work. Your time is running out."

And with that, he connected the IMs.

The demigods opened their backpacks. And everything was there as promised. The metal shone, a sparkling golden-bronze colour and in the side pockets there were about two drachmas each, a total of ten drachmas.

"All right, Annabeth, lets start with melting this celestial bronze," Professor Chase commanded and everyone set to work.

* * *

><p>An hour passed. Finally, they were done making the bullets. They were out of celestial bronze and the tap dance wine.<p>

"Remember, Ladon has a hundred heads," Annabeth reminded them, yet again. "Try shooting into each of his mouths. Percy, Thalia, Nico, you know what to do?"

Everyone sighed. "Yes, Annabeth."

"Sir, I can't promise you that your car will come back intact," said Percy to Professor Chase. "But I can promise you that your daughter will," he said, determination filling his voice.

Annabeth's father smiled bravely. "Don't let me down. And it'll be nice if all of you could come back alive."

"Well, we need to, or we can kiss our chances of winning against Kronos goodbye. The Oracle says so," said Annabeth. "And anyway, I'm not going to lose any of you."

"We don't need to, if we act wisely," said Thalia reassuringly.

"There is always a way for those who're clever enough to find it," said Professor Chase, repeating the words that Athena had once said to him.

"Athena said that to me when we were rescuing Annabeth," said Percy.

Professor Chase nodded. "She told me the same thing when I wanted to get into college."

He smiled at the memory of the old days when he and Athena had been intimate. He pulled Annabeth into a hug.

"Bye, Dad," said Annabeth, trying not to feel that this was goodbye.

"Bye, Annabeth. I'll see you soon," her father replied encouragingly. She nodded.

He shook hands with Percy.

"You have a good heart, Percy. Be who you are, and remember what you promised me," the professor said gravely. Percy nodded.

After they'd all said goodbye, Thalia walked over to the Chase's car and let out a low whistle.

"Sexy car," she said, taking in the black convertible that promised high speed – it was a Mercedes.

"I hope one of the gods replace the car if it doesn't make it back," Nico muttered.

"We'll ask them," Annabeth told him. "Now lets go!"

They piled into the car and Percy sat behind the wheel, Nico next to him.

Annabeth and Thalia sat at the back.

"Remember, the Mist is strong here. The natural and magical kind. And there are tons of monsters waiting to eat us up. So keep your eyes open and brains focused," said Thalia encouragingly.

"You don't need to say that again," said Percy.

Percy drove slowly at first but then picked up speed as he gained confidence. Still, he wasn't going too fast.

"We're in a freaking sports car, Perce, and you're crawling on the road! Can't you drive faster?" Thalia demanded.

"No," Percy replied sarcastically.

Thalia gave him the evil eye.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain. We really do need to get there before sunset," Annabeth told him.

Percy sighed.

"I'm going to drive worse than Hermes," he told them, grinning. "So get ready to scream."

As he said that, he speeded up and the car zoomed along the roads. He had to slow down when they reached the Golden Gate Bridge, though. They finally got into Marin County and exited the highway.

"Okay, guys, keep your eyes peeled to the sides. There are loads of eucalyptus trees here," Percy warned them.

"So what?" asked Nico. "Tress can't hurt us."

"But monsters can," Percy replied. "Koala bears and monsters love it. Especially dragons."

"Why?"

"To cure dragon breath," Percy grimaced. "You'll find out soon enough."

"I'm not sure I want to," Nico muttered. Thalia was silent and lost in memory of the Lieutenant whose place she'd taken.

The roads twisted and turned insanely and were extremely narrow but somehow Percy drove on.

The mountain of despair loomed in front of them.

"Thalia," said Percy. "Where did we stop to get to the garden of the sunset nymphs?"

Thalia grimaced. "Remember, we were hit by a lightning bolt?"

"Oh, yeah," said Percy a little awkwardly. "Hey, you know that was K – the evil titan and not Zeus, right?"

"I know now," was Thalia's short reply.

"But okay, back to my point. Where do we stop?" Percy asked her.

Thalia closed her eyes, trying to recall the quest where they'd lost so many people and rescued a few.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Percy, you remember you could see the sea where the lightning bolt hit us?"

"Uh-huh?" was Percy's confused reply.

"We saw the Princess Andromeda," said Thalia impatiently, trying to help him recall.

"Oh yeah! Right, I'll stop there," said Percy.

He stopped close to the spot where they'd almost been incinerated by a lightning bolt two years back. The four of them got out of the car.

"Now, where do we go?" asked Nico.

"Follow me," Thalia replied.

"Be careful to not lose her in the Mist," Annabeth warned everyone.

Thalia stepped into the fog and everyone carefully followed her silhouette. The fog cleared and the four stood on a dirt road on the same side of the mountain they were previously on.

The grass was thicker. The sunset looked beautiful reflected in the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer, swirling with storm clouds and evil power.

"Lets go," said Thalia, beckoning everyone to follow her. She took the path in front of them – which was the only part to the top. It led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers.

"The garden of Twilight," Annabeth whispered. "Its so beautiful."

And indeed, it was. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light and the flowers were brilliantly coloured and seemed to glow in the dark. Stepping-stones of polished black marble led around the side of an apple tree as tall as a five-story building. Every bough glittered with golden apples.

"Mmm," said Nico, sniffing the air, taking in the fragrance of the golden apples. "I want one," he said, drool almost spilling from his mouth. He took a step forward but Percy pulled him back.

"Don't," he warned the younger boy.

"I know," Nico told him. "I wouldn't go and face Ladon that way. He's huge and freaky and scary and he has a hundred heads and armoured scales!"

Suddenly, the shadows in front of them began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, sort of like voices from the bottom of a well.

"The Hesperides," Annabeth whispered.

Four figures shimmered into existence. There were four young women wearing white Greek chitons with caramel coloured skin and silky black hair that fell loosely around their shoulders. They had eyes that were cold and black. They were beautiful.

"Perseus Jackson," one of them regarded Percy coldly. "Thalia Grace."

Thalia flinched at the use of her full name.

"I see thou art here again. A huntress," said the girl who'd spoken disdainfully.

"The new Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis," said another girl. "Thee shall suffer the same fate as thy predecessor."

"Oh, cut out the old English," Nico groaned.

All the Hesperides glared at Nico.

"No, she wont," said Percy firmly, because Thalia was a little white.

"Look, we're on a quest for the gods," said Annabeth impatiently. "Will you let us pass or do I have to tell Zeus to incinerate you?"

Instead of looking scared, the nymphs of the sunset laughed.

"Lady Hera would never let that happen," the eldest girl said, amused.

"All right then," said Thalia. "Activate Plan B."

And together they shouted, "LADON!"

* * *

><p>The dragon uncurled and woke up, stretching its limbs. The Hesperides yelped.<p>

"Thou art just as crazy as Zoe Nightshade," the eldest girl called out.

"You still have no courage," Thalia told the girl disapprovingly. To the rest of them, she said, "Lets go!"

"Whatever you do, do not concentrate on his breath!" Percy shouted to all of them, realizing that the dragon's breath would be really stinky. Then, remembering Hermes' request, he created a mist and then threw in a drachma.

"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show Olympus the dancing dragon!" he cried.

A female's voice announced, "Dancing Dragon broadcasting to Olympus LIVE in 3,2,1…"

Then, Annabeth and Percy pulled out their guns. Nico put on his Helm of Darkness and Thalia tapped her silver bracelet and Aegis sprang to full form, a silver sheet with the terrible carving of Medusa's head. Ladon hissed in terror. The disgusting breath froze them in their tracks. Ladon lashed out with his tail towards Nico but Thalia pulled him back in time. She was slightly more immune to the smell than him.

"Nico!" Thalia yelled to him. "What is his worst fear?"

"Wait!" Nico shouted back. He closed his eyes, and raised his hands, and then opened them and looked the dragon in the eye. Immediately, Ladon howled with terror. Percy and Annabeth used this opportunity to fire a few bullets into the dragon's mouth but missed by a few centimeters.

"He's scared of someone stealing the apple and then Zeus and Hera getting mad at him!" Nico called out to Thalia. She grinned wickedly.

"Nico, plant that fear in his mind. Show him images of that happening. I'll create the atmosphere."

"Percy, Annabeth, be ready!" Thalia called out. She closed her eyes and imagined the power of the lightning bolt crackling with electricity in her hand. She imagined her own power – The Daughter of Zeus and the Lieutenant of Artemis, the greatest demigod to be born in years. She opened her eyes – and screamed.

"AAAAAHHHH!" she screamed as she plummeted down the air, straight onto Ladon's back

"Thalia!" Percy yelled to her. "Don't be scared! You were doing great! You're the _daughter of Zeus_! You're born to fly! Heights won't hurt you!"

Thalia was almost crying with terror, but she pulled herself together at Percy's words. "And I'm a hunter of Artemis too," she muttered. She pulled out her hunting knives and yelled, "FOR ZEUS AND ARTEMIS!"

She began to slash with her hunting knives, cutting of the heads of the dragon. Green blood dripped down all over them. Thalia's arms and legs were covered with the creature's poisonous blood. Her slashing distracted the dragon from the personalized horror movie Nico was showing him and he turned onto Thalia.

"JUMP!" the three other demigods screamed at Thalia simultaneously. Thalia moaned. She felt like someone was eating her flesh, pulling it out mercilessly. But she knew it was now or never. If she didn't jump right now, she'd die. And if she lived, Apollo promised he'd heal her…

Apollo. That name shattered her stupor. She remembered why she was here. _To save Apollo_.

She jumped, but didn't reach the ground. Instead, she was flying, soaring in the air like a daughter of Zeus. Like she was born to.

"YOU FAILED ZEUS!" Thalia screamed at the dragon. Nico frantically radiated Ladon's worst nightmare to him again. Thalia threw her lightning bolt right above the dragon. He howled painfully.

"Now!" Annabeth ordered, and somehow, Percy and Annabeth managed to fire a whole round of bullets straight into the dragon's mouth. Suddenly, the dragon went rigid. Then, it started clicking its heels and began tap dancing. Loud laughter could be heard from right behind them. The demigods turned.

"That was great!" Hermes howled.

But the demigods weren't paying attention. They ran to Thalia, Annabeth in the lead.

"Thalia!" she cried weakly. The Hunter of Artemis was covered in the dragon's blood.

"Slight – poison," Thalia gasped. "Nectar – bath. Artemis – taught – us."

That much was enough for Annabeth. She pulled out a gauze and started wiping off the poison first from Thalia's face, hands and legs, and then her clothes. She threw the dripping green gauze onto the ground and dipped a clean one in nectar and dabbed it on the girl's face. Nico gave her some ambrosia squares.

"Don't give her more," Annabeth warned.

"Thalia, you okay?" Percy asked her worriedly.

Thalia nodded, sitting up. "I'm feeling much better. Thanks for the quick treatment, guys"

"I can't believe you're thanking us," said Annabeth, glaring at her. Thalia laughed and hugged her friend.

Hera was smiling at the demigods. "That was a good job."

"I'm proud of you, Thalia," said Zeus, no more fuming now that his daughter was fine.

Thalia blushed.

"That was a good job," Athena told them approvingly. "But you must move on."

Apollo nodded. "Time is running out. Oh, and, good idea, Percy," he grinned.

"Thanks," Percy grinned back.

Then Apollo turned serious. "Thalia, be careful. And… remember – remember moments that were special to you in times of pain," said Apollo, biting his lip slightly. Thalia blushed a little and Artemis frowned.

"Good luck, children," said Zeus. "Make Olympus proud."

And with those words of motivation, he disconnected the Iris Message.

"Lets go," said Annabeth urgently. The demigods nodded and ran on, dodging the dancing dragon.

The four of them scaled the mountain path that led to Mount Tamalpais – also known as Mount Orthrys.

"Stop!" said Annabeth suddenly. Everyone turned to her, puzzled.

"We're on the wrong track!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead with her palm. "Prometheus wasn't chained on Mount Orthrys! He was chained to a rock in the Caucasus!"

Everyone stared at her for a moment. "_Di immortals_," Thalia swore. "How did _none _of us realize this?"

"Because, everyone expected Ethan to be here," a woman with black hair and sickly-sweet yet mean features replied.

"Oh, that's right," said Annabeth, feeling silly.

"Well, lets go," said Nico, and he started to walk on with the others following him. Then they suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. They turned around slowly.

"Who are you?" asked Percy.

"Is that the way you greet someone more powerful than you?" the woman reprimanded.

The four of them were silent.

"Allow me to make the introductions. I know you're Perseus Jackson – son of Poseidon," she said, gesturing to Percy. "Annabeth Chase – daughter of Athena, Thalia Grace – daughter of Zeus and Nico di Angelo – son of Hades."

"And you're Nemesis. Goddess of vengeance, balance and justice," Annabeth whispered, her voice quivering. "I should've known."

Nemesis laughed. "You're a smart one, child. But even the smartest of us don't know everything. Tell me, how did you realize I'm Nemesis?"

"Your necklace," Annabeth replied. "The pendant is a gold balance."

Nemesis smiled. "Very good. Now, I'm here to make a deal with you."

Percy raised an eyebrow. He'd made a lot of deals with gods, and most of them hadn't turned out well.

"And what is that?" he asked. Nemesis shrugged.

"Leave my son alone," she replied.

Percy couldn't help it. He spat at the ground next to the goddess. The goddess' eyes flared up. It was only then that they noticed the black flames burning in her eyes.

"So that Kronos gets to know all about Prometheus?" Percy asked angrily.

"You can reason with him," the goddess responded.

"Oh yeah right," said Percy unthinkingly, fury taking over. "So that he goes and betrays us _again_. You stand for justice. Well, I'm not sure your son understands that."

The goddess glared at him. "Do not make me angry, Percy Jackson."

"Whose side are you on?" he asked her. Nico put a warning hand on Percy's shoulder, but it was too late.

"I stand for balance. I am neutral. Whoever fights a better war will win, and I'll make sure no one has too much good luck," she growled.

Percy barked a laugh. "Are you implying that we've had _good luck_? We've been –

"Percy, STOP!" Annabeth yelled, yanking him back towards her. "Don't make her angry!"

But the warning came too late.

"Its too late now!" Nemesis called out, disappearing into a blur of black. "I can't fight you directly unless you challenge me, young hero, but I will make matters terrible for you. I am Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, and I will have my revenge on you. Remember that!"

"Percy, look away!" Thalia cried. All of them closed their eyes as Nemesis assumed her true godly form and disappeared.

"What have you done?" Thalia demanded angrily. Percy looked down, shamefaced.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Thalia was going to shout some more, but Nico stopped her. "Its no use, Thalia. It was part of the prophecy. It would've happened anyway."

"We need to work together in harmony," said Annabeth. "Like a perfect family. We can't fight amongst each other."

"She's right," said Nico. Thalia sighed.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said. "Just don't be such an ass next time."

"I'll try not to," he replied and pulled her into a hug. She was, after all, like a sister to him.

"Now the question is, where is Caucasus?" asked Nico.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, its somewhere on the Europe – Asia border. Georgia to be exact," said Annabeth frowning.

Percy whistled. "That's so far away."

"I know. Why would dad chain Prometheus _so _far away?" asked Thalia. Annabeth motioned them to be quiet. She did the math in her head.

"Georgia, Europe to Greece, Europe is approximately 1 day 4 hours by car," she said almost robotically. "The Georgia in New York to Mount Tamalpais in San Francisco takes around the same time."

She looked at them, excitement shining in her eyes. Realization hit them slowly.

"The Caucasus mountains have shifted to Georgia here in The US," said Thalia.

"But, the mountain ranges didn't move," Percy protested.

"Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth impatiently. "Mount Olympus is sill in Greece. But its shifted to the Empire State Building. Why can't it happen to Caucasus?"

"She's right," said Nico.

"As usual," Percy added, squeezing his girlfriend's hand. "How in the world did you work that out?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Mom's blessing, I guess."

"Umm… guys," said Nico, who was feeling uneasy staying so close to the headquarters of the Titans. "Why don't we move somewhere else? We've got a nice tent that'll keep us safe."

"Sounds good to me," said Thalia. Annabeth nodded.

"We can discuss the rest of our plan there. With some food in our stomachs."

Everyone agreed. "I'll feel better camping near the sea," Percy admitted.

"Not a bad idea," said Annabeth. "It'll be a quick route for travel and escape in case we need to and we'll be safe there. Poseidon promised."

"Lets go then," said Thalia, who was now eager to get away from here. The Mist was getting thicker. "What's the nearest beach?"

"Stinson Beach," Annabeth responded automatically. "We can hike to there. There are hiking trails from Mount Tam. Percy should be able to smell the sea."

"Lead us, sniffer boy," Nico said, chuckling. Thalia and Annabeth laughed and Percy huffed and stalked off downwards on his own. Annabeth caught up with him and grabbed his hand.

"You sure you're going the right way?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips. She stood slightly higher than him.

"I'm not," Percy replied, trying to remain angry.

Annabeth pressed her forehead against his.

"Will you leave me alone?" she asked.

Percy didn't reply. He was too distracted by Annabeth's fragrance.

"You know you promised that you'd keep me safe," she whispered, her lips inches from his.

"Annabeth, watch out!" Thalia screamed and at the same moment Percy pulled Annabeth behind him, protecting her with his body. She was frightened and breathing heavily. Percy immediately uncapped Riptide.

"What is that?" asked Nico, pointing to the strange bird like creature that had almost clawed Annabeth's head out. It had the body of a lion, but the head, wings and talons of an eagle and the tail of a serpent. It was a terrible and frightening beast.

"Its a griffin!" Thalia replied. "They pull Nemesis' chariot. She's sending them after us!"

Thalia pulled out Aegis and her lightning bolt and Nico put on his Helm of Darkness.

Percy slashed at the beast's wings but it dodged his strike. Instead, it flew straight into Percy, pushing him backwards.

Annabeth lost her balance. "Percy!" she screamed as she fell towards the ground.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled to her, but there was no response. He looked down and saw nothing there. The fall was too deep.

"Annabeth," said Percy, and fell to his knees, tears flooding his eyes.

"Watch out!" Thalia cautioned him, but Nico took care of it. He was invisible right behind the monster and with a swipe of his sword; he absorbed its essence into the blade. The monster disintegrated into dust.

Thalia ran to Percy and held him, tears in her own eyes. They'd just lost Annabeth.

Nico was looking at them and around him in disbelief, unable to accept that Annabeth was gone.

"It can't be," he whispered. He ran to the edge of the cliff and surveyed his surroundings.

"Percy! Thalia! Look!" he cried. They turned to see what Nico was pointing at and were repelled at the sigh. Around five or six griffins were circling around something. It looked like they were snacking on a carcass.

That enraged three children of the Big Three to no end.

"They-are-so-dead," Percy growled. Thalia struck her lightning bolt on the crowd of mammal-birds.

Alarmed, they flew around to find their offender. They cried and attacked the demigods, but they were ready for it.

With newfound strength and fury, they slashed and hacked at the birds' wings, letting out all their pain and sorrow in maiming the monsters.

"Percy!" someone cried.

Percy looked around. "Annabeth?" he whispered.

"Down here, dummy!" she said. Percy looked down to see Annabeth hanging from a branch, hanging on for dear life.

"Annabeth!" he cried, joyful tears brimming down his cheeks. "I thought I'd lost you!

"Pull me up," said Annabeth.

Percy immediately gave her his hand and pulled her up.

"Fool," Annabeth cackled as she pushed Percy down.

"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled, maddened. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, but I'm not Annabeth," she replied, changing form. Suddenly, it was painfully obvious. It was Nemesis, luring Percy to his death.

"Bitch!" Thalia yelled and charged at her. "I'm going to kill you!"

Nemesis laughed. The sound was ugly. "Oh, but I'm immortal. And I accept your challenge."

* * *

><p>"Percy, hang on!" said Nico and pulled his friend up.<p>

"I need a griffin," he said urgently.

"Why?" asked Nico.

"I just need one!" Percy snapped.

"Not a problem," Nico muttered. They were surrounded by ten of the monstrous creatures.

"Nico, can you handle them?" asked Percy.

"Yeah, I guess," Nico replied, busy killing the despicable beasts.

Percy jumped onto one of the griffins, fighting with it for control.

"You will listen to me," he growled. Percy had never been so lethal before.

The griffin tossed and turned but Percy held on to the fur on its back. It was extremely difficult, as it didn't have much of it.

Percy struggled to control it. For a moment, it looked like Percy might just win it.

And then, the griffin knocked Percy off its back with a swipe of his tail.

* * *

><p>Thalia was furious. This goddess had killed her best friend. She'd tricked her other best friend, who was like a brother to her, and now she had no clue if he was dead or alive. And now, because of her, they were fighting for their lives.<p>

She said she was neutral. What bullshit.

Nemesis let Thalia have the first move. She tried to knock the goddess off her feet by aiming for Nemesis' feet, but Nemesis was a skilled fighter. She dodged the blow and flew away, instead, she came for Thalia from behind, and would have chopped of the demigod's neck had she not been quick enough to block the strike.

"So you're going to fly, huh?" asked Thalia menacingly. "Well, I'm the daughter of the sky. We're even."

And with that, she was soaring too, a mini storm going on around her. Arcs of electricity shot out from her hunting knives.

Nemesis laughed. "You have spirit, I'll grant you that. But you're no match for me!"

She kicked Thalia in the chest. Thalia was falling down.

"You see!" Nemesis cackled. "I am a goddess, and you're nothing!"

Something kicked Nemesis in the back of her head.

"Talk less, fight more," said Thalia.

Nemesis let out an enraged scream. Fury drove her on.

This was serious war. The storm around Thalia got wilder and wilder, protecting Thalia from Nemesis' attacks.

Thalia shocked Nemesis with thousands of volts of electricity every time her body touched the storm brewing around the daughter of Zeus.

Thalia gave Nemesis a nasty cut on her neck. Golden ichor – blood of the gods, poured down, drenching her clothes.

Nemesis glared at the girl. She became a whirlwind of black and white, attacking Thalia with such speed that the demigod barely had time to defend herself.

And the storm was dying down too. It was zapping up Thalia's energy.

Thalia attacked and counter-attacked Nemesis' moves. Training with Artemis had taught her to be agile.

But finally, Nemesis' sword cut a deep, nasty wound that ran down the length of Thalia's arm.

Her scream of agony echoed for miles around the mountainside.

* * *

><p>Nico was glad his father had given him the Helm of Darkness. It kept the monsters at bay. He could easily slash and stab and finish them all.<p>

Nico sighed, proud of himself. He took of his helmet and sucked it a deep breath. That was his biggest mistake.

One of the more intelligent griffins had been hiding in the corner and now, it used the opportunity to knock down the Helm of Darkness.

"No!" Nico cried as his prized possession, his favourite gift rolled down the mountain and onto the ground.

Things were beginning to look bleak.

* * *

><p><strong>Done! How was it?<strong>

**Review please!**

**I'm sorry to leave you all hanging at such an important part, but I really don't have anymore time. My parents are getting annoyed with me and I don't want to be banned from FanFiction.**

**I'll post the next chapter – the remaining part of the quest as soon as I can. I didn't have time to go through the chapter again so please inform me if I made any mistakes. I am aware that its , not Professor Chase, I just don't have the time to go back and change it. **

**I'm sorry I wont be able to update So close, Yet so far and Love:Laughter:Change for more time! Sorry! So, so sorry!**

**Please review and don't lose hope. Half of the quest is still left.**

**Thanks guys! Love you all!**

**-ITOR**


	8. The Quest Continues

**Hey guys,**

**Here's the whole chapter!**

**I'm sorry but this might be a real long author's note, all thanks to an anonymous flamer who I think deserves it... **

**Since I've been delaying you all so long, I've already started writing chapter 9 as I write this chapter. Chapter 9 is a characters read the books chapter. It doesn't take too long to write these chapters, so I should update quick. Keyword: Should. You get the next update when I'm done with about three projects, two sets of question answers, and writing the next chapter for Love:Laughter:Change, I Lost You and writing a Hephastodite one-shot. But I'll try my best for it to not take too long.**

**Also, I'd like to know – Do you all like the original storyline in this story or do you just want the usual characters read the books sort of a story? Whatever happens, I will be finishing reading all the chapters. The original storyline behind it will extend the story after we're done reading the books, so you get to know what happens **_**after **_**they've read the book. What do you all say?**

**A big thanks to all of you for getting me to 100 reviews plus! You're AWESOME!**

**Thank you greek101, TwiLoco, GayRon, Hyper Hyperion, Miz636, The Wind Whispers To Me, Zoe Anderson, Daziy is ., Angela Banaag, bookwormgirl2497,psycholady141, Neltjuuuhhh, RedVsBlue327 and Rdr-Wrtr for adding this story to your Story Alert lists!**

**Thanks FANFICaddict001, TheseusLives, Tvd-Vampires Are My Life, xTrouble, Apol31, AngelaBanaag, SisterOfAnElvenWannabe, bookwormgirl2497, team edward no team volturi, girlwhoplayswithfire, percyolympian, wisegirl1313, hotstuff142, IF3R and Towerprepfan for adding this story to your Favorite Story lists!**

**Thank you SisterOfAnElvenWannabe for adding me to your Favorite Authors list :D :D**

**AND**

**Thank you Allstarchick4 and RedVsBlue327 for adding me to your Author Alert list :D :D**

**And last, but not the least at all, in fact, the best – the Reviewers!**

**chloexo: (Chapter 7) Haha, thanks! :D (Chapter 8) Sorry I took time. :D I'm glad you aren't mad at me anymore! Here, enjoy the whole of this chapter :D**

**nicopwnz and artemisluver: No problem :) They were good. Here are all the answers revealed :D Haha, thanks a lot! :D **

**AnnabethChaserocks: Thank you :) Sorry for the late update… but here it is.**

**FANFICaddict001: I'm sorry I had to kill Annabeth for the story to continue =( (Stiffles giggle) Read on and see 'how' she comes alive xD And thanks for the review :)**

**kiwi: Thank you for the review! I won't be skipping chapters. The Lost Hero… I don't know. I sure can consider it, once this story is finished. Keep reading :)**

**HermesPotter: (Chapter 7) Thanks :D Aww its okay, at least you never fail to review. I LOVE reading them :D (Chapter 8) Thank you! I'm glad they were! Oh, she really is. Haha, yeah, they sure do. No, they aren't, and since you've asked me, I'll explain it in the story too for everyone's clarity. The rule is such – Gods cannot interfere in any demigod quest, be it a CHB quest or not. Yes, I am, but depending on what everyone wants, this plotline will either stay or go away. I was thinking about the relationships in the story, and then I thought, maybe some Hades/Persephone, Dionysus/Ariadne, Zeus/Hera, Poseidon/Sally or Poseidon/Athena (Pothena friendship will be coming up anyway. Relationship, I don't know), Nico/Thalia (brother and sister closeness), Zeus/Poseidon/Hades (NOT gays, just family), Percy/Nico/Thalia (cousins), Apollo/Artemis (brother and sister). Stuff like that, I guess. Thanks again for the review! (Sheepish grin) Sure, updates will be faster. **

**PS: Its okay, as I said, its awesome of you to post reviews on 'the world's worst iPod' (as you call it) :D And woohoo, can't wait for June to end! The next update will surely be real soon if I get to read a gigantic review from you :D**

**Mytical-Mist-Devil: Whoo, I love your review! :D Haha, its okay. Since it's a little hard to make sense of it, lets forget it :) I'm in the mood for caps too. AWESOME REVIEW! LOVED THE HYPERNESS :D THANK YOU FOR LOVING THIS SOO MUCH! :D :D :D And sorry for the late update …**

**Sabine8195: Thanks! I know, totally! Thanks! Sorry I updated late, but all your questions are answered here! Read on :D**

**Unsigned reviewer who reviewed Chapter 7 on 3****rd**** June 2011: I will be doing that, but this story has an original plotline too. That was the whole idea. Anyway, after this chapter, the characters read the books thing will be up again. Thanks for the review, sorry for the late update and please leave a name the next time you review!**

**Bigfananime: Hehe… sorry :P What will you do to me? :D Maybe… maybe not. Sorry I updated late, but here!**

**Anime Princess: (Chapter 7) :) Nemesis needs to learn a lesson! Her sister, I think she's Fortuna… I don't know, maybe Kronos is blackmailing her! :O Did you know that the romans made Nemesis the goddess of fortune? How ironic… Sorry for the late update. You'll find out!  
>(Chapter 8) Me too :) You'll find out :) Haha, me too! I will :D <strong>

**Miz636: Thank you so much! :D I'm glad you like it. Sorry for the slow updates. Keep reading!**

**Tempest Cain: WHERE ARE YOU! Gods, I miss you! Where have you disappeared off to? People are waiting to read your chapter, y'know! Above all, where did you go? Anyway, replying to your review. I know, terrible luck for them :( But it will get better. The mystery of Annabeth Chase… read on and find out! I'm glad the Thapollo didn't get overdone :) Haha, I LOVE the tap dancing dragon too! I don't know, it just popped into my head. No they haven't taken a dip yet. Thanks! I hope you reply soon!**

**Zoe Anderson: Haha… I'm evil. Thank you! Sorry for the late update… but here it is!**

**Yeng Banaag: (Chapter 5) Thanks! Well, I prefer 'Everything', but thanks for your honest opinion :) (Chapter 6) I'm glad you like it! Keep reading!**

**Alexa-Angel: Thanks a ton! Sorry for the long wait between chapters, but here it is!**

**Unsigned reviewer who reviewed Chapter 1 on 13****th**** June 2011: Thanks! And updated :)**

**Angela Banaag: Thank you :)**

**SisterOfAnElvenWannabe: (Chapter 2) Yeah! Read on and find out :) (Chapter 4) Thanks! Yeah, I know. (Chapter 5) Thank you. Oh okay. Keep reading :) (Chapter 6) Sure, the next chapter will continue the characters read the books. (Chapter 7) Read on and find out :D (Chapter 8) Thank you!  
><strong>

**bookwormgirl2497: Read on and find out! Thanks!**

**ice: I am. The next chapter will continue the characters read the books. PS: This is not a side story. It's the whole reason for reading the book, and once the book is finished, the plot will come into play. **

**AND NOW FOR THE HUGEST REVIEW REPLY – THE FLAME! Warning: Abusive language and long reply. **

**Unsigned (Coward) Flamer who flamed chapter 7 on 26****th**** June 2011: ****Hmm... Where should I begin? All right, lets start with the spelling. **

**I have to congratulate you, some of it is correct. I didn't expect you to be able to do that much. However, 'write' is spelt w-r-i-t-e, not r-i-g-h-t. I'm sorry that your education is so lacking that you can't even spell such a basic word correctly. Even my nine-year-old sister can do that. Heck, even her juniors can! Because is spelt b-e-c-a-u-s-e, not c-u-z. I know that 'u' and 'r' are alphabets, but there is no such word known as 'ur'. Its spelt y-o-u-r. Which means you're telling me that its mine. 'Ur' can also mean you're, which is a shorter way of writing 'you are'. In this case, you meant 'you are' or 'you're'.**

**Secondly, you totally ****raped****the grammar. It should've been 'Dude**_**,**_** skip the fuckin**_**'**_** quest and do the books and the gods reading them**_**, **_**god damn it. Stop doing fucking filler ****chapters**. **_Just because_****(No sentence ever begins with 'and 'or 'because'. I'm sorry you never attended school enough to know that) you **_**can't**_**write****the chapter ****_because_****_you're_****_a_****(Articles are important. A, An and The are known as articles) lazy bitch**_**.**_** No body cares about a quest and the summary said they read the book not do a fuckin' quest.**

**Thirdly, the summary is this:** **Apollo, being the god of prophecies receives a book, a guide to the upcoming second Titan War. Will the gods and demigods be able to defeat Kronos causing minimum damage? Or will the future change? Only time will tell...**

**Nowhere does it state that they'll read the book. I'm sorry that you don't have enough sense to understand the summary. Anything can happen. Which includes a quest.**

**Fourth, its not a filler chapter, its the main storyline of this story. It will come forward once the whole book has been read. I think you need to learn something known as ****_patience_****.**

**Fifth, if I was a lazy bitch who couldn't write the chapter, I wouldn't have written the quest because the quest takes a lot more effort than the normal characters read the books chapters. Why? Well, that's because in a characters read the books chapter, all I have to do is write the reactions of the characters to the text. Its not hard to find an ebook and copy and paste the book's text from there (after correcting the mistakes, of course). However, it ****_is_****hard to do your own research, create a storyline, stay in character all while writing a long chapter to satisfy your readers. Writing 4000 such words takes a lot of time, patience and concentration, which you do not have. Not to mention the required English skills.**

**Sixth, if no one cared about the quest, then I wouldn't get such amazing reviews from people who like reading the quest. Also, you would've had someone supporting what you're saying. One person told me that they'd rather read just the story than my original storyline as well. I didn't burn the person, because it wasn't a flame. It was an ****_opinion_****.**** Another one told me that three chapters of the quest gets boring, and I told that person that there are only two chapters of the quest. I will be continuing the whole characters read the books thing after that.**

**Seventh, who are you? Why don't you have the guts to give me your name? You didn't log in and review. You didn't leave a pen name in the anonymous review. No, you reached down to the worst level of cowardice and gave me an anonymous review ****_with no name_**_._

**Gods, you are so so so outright disgusting. You flamed me but don't have the guts to let me know who you are.**

**Eight, if you wanted to read a characters read the books story without another plot behind it, there's plenty of good stuff available. You can go read it. Or is it that you actually enjoy the way I'm writing and just want to appear brave (totally unsuccessfully) or flaunt your abusive vocabulary (which is poor, I must say. Listen to the song Platypus I hate you by Green Day. It should help you out).**

**So, if I were to sum this up in the way you spoke to me:**

**Shut the hell up, you b*****d. You're just a f****t who doesn't have the guts to tell me who you are, and then leave me a f*****g flame, b***h. You've had no proper education so you don't know how to write and then you go around on other stories proving what a loser you are. You don't have enough sense to understand a summary, d**k***d, and then go around accusing the author of not doing what he/she said. You don't have enough talent to bl***y write a story that can even get ten reviews and you go around flaming other stories and telling the authors they're lazy when you can't even write a chapter with 2000 words in (almost) perfect English, let alone a chapter with 8000 - 14,000 words. So, if you don't like this story, n*g**r, I think you should just get the hell lost from here and go fuck yourself :) Thanks for increasing my review count, though.**

**BACK TO THE REVIEWERS**

**Daziy is .: Thanks! Well, she can't help the mild flirting; he does it with every girl. But this isn't flirting… And it will be explained later. Sorry for the slow updates, but here!**

**Unsigned reviewer who reviewed Chapter 8 on 27****th**** June 2011: I will, as soon as I can! And please leave a name next time,**

**puneet: Thanks so much! :D Do you really think I could? :D :D I'd love to become a published author one day when people would write FanFiction on MY books, and the disclaimers would go like – Sandra owns (insert name of story here). I do not. :D Thanks for reviewing! Keep reading :)**

**Well, that's about it. Read the end A/N for some clarifications.**

**Disclaimer: I own the Percy Jackson series. *Thunder rumbles* All right, I don't :( Nor do I own Green Day and Coldplay and all of their wonderful music. Go Billy Joe! You rock :D**

* * *

><p>Percy hung on desperately to the tail and hauled himself up. He drew out riptide and put the sword point at the griffin's neck. The griffin made a sound that resembled yelping.<p>

"You listen to me, or I kill you," Percy threatened. The bird didn't understand what he was saying, but the threatening tone of his voice and riptide at its throat made it obey.

"Fly straight," Percy commanded, pointing in front of him.

The beast followed and swooped right towards where a flock of its kind was circling a cliff.

"Go there!" Percy ordered and the bird listening to him. He landed right next to the rest of the birds.

"Stay away from me!" a fierce girl shrieked. She had blonde hair and intelligent grey eyes and a dagger in her hand. Presently, she was trying to defend herself from the monsters, but she wasn't very successful. Blood streaked down from a nasty gash on her cheek. Her hair was disheveled and eyes were wild.

"I'm here, Wise Girl, just hold on," said Percy as he cut a wide arc around himself with his sword. The monsters yelped and backed away. Percy grabbed Annabeth's waist.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in a low voice. Annabeth nodded.

"The underside of their stomach's is vulnerable," she told him. "Get past the talons and we'll be able to defeat them."

Percy nodded. He kissed her hair and the two got back to back, defending themselves and each other against the ravenous pack of griffins.

Annabeth dodged the strike of one of the griffins, ducked and waited for the other to attack too. She ducked again and the two of them smashed into each other.

'_The oldest trick in the book,'_ she thought smugly.

She plunged her dagger into the vulnerable spots on the underside of the hybrid animals' stomach. The two of them evaporated into monster dust.

Behind her, Percy was being driven on by fury. He cut of the wings of one of the griffins and pierced the eyes of another and then killed them in one swipe of his sword – all in a matter of seconds. Another griffin managed to claw at Percy's nose but Annabeth cut a wide arc with her dagger and hit the chink in the bird's armor.

"Thanks," whispered Percy.

"No problem" Annabeth replied.

They continued fighting back to back against the seemingly never-ending army of Nemesis' monsters.

* * *

><p>Nemesis cackled wickedly. She had finally won the battle.<p>

"You see, you can't defeat me, even if you're a Hunter of Artemis _and_ a daughter of Zeus. You're no match for a goddess like me!"

Thalia tried to open her mouth to curse at her but no words came. She was in too much pain. Her arm was completely covered in blood, and it was pooling down to the ground rapidly. She was dying; at least, that's what it felt like. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, the pain paralyzed all her senses.

"I'm going to make you die slowly," Nemesis whispered. "In more pain than you are now."

Thalia wanted to protest that the pain couldn't get worse, but she gasped. A sickening crunch was heard as Nemesis stomped on Thalia's chest, fracturing three of her ribs.

Nemesis laughed, delighted at the evident pain in Thalia's features. The Lieutenant of the hunters of Artemis had been wrong. The pain was so much worse now. She tried to suck in air but the movement was too painful. Her lungs were burning.

The victorious goddess snapped her fingers and two huge, well-muscled griffins appeared, pulling a chariot.

"I'll see you later," she called out as she climbed aboard. Then she laughed. "Actually, I have no plans of visiting Tartarus once Kronos wins – which evidently he will.

* * *

><p>Nico stared down the mountainside, tears forming in his eyes. He brushed them away. He had lost his precious gift, his pride and joy. His father had especially given it to him!<p>

A sharp pain on his neck pierced his thoughts. He turned to see a griffin holding a piece of what looked like his flesh in its beak. Nico touched the back of his neck. It was bleeding profusely.

He glared at the bird, anger coursing through every hair in his body. A black aura surrounded him. The bird flew back to its army in fear.

"You . Will . Pay," said Nico menacingly. The energy around him terrified the beasts. Slowly, the energy grew into a huge black ball that threw itself onto the army of hybrid animals, showing them their worst fears. Nico might have lost his Helm of Darkness, but the ability was within him.

Nemesis' animals were so terrified by the nightmares Nico was showing them that they didn't even notice it when a sword and a dagger went through them, disintegrating them into monster dust.

"Nico!" yelled Percy. "Are you – whoa!"

When Percy tried to get to Nico, an invisible force pushed him back. The black energy was shielding the enraged Nico who was breathing heavily.

"Nico, its me. And look who we have here!" said Percy.

Nico's glazed eyes suddenly focused on the son of the sea, finally registering his presence.

"Percy?" he asked, dazed. "Annabeth! How –"

"I spotted her," Percy cut in. "I must admit, she looked like a dead body, but somehow, I could see her chest moving."

Despite his situation, Nico had to smile. "You've got your eyes on all the wrong places, Perce."

Percy and Annabeth blushed.

"Shut up!" said Percy, punching the younger boy in the arm. "I caught a ride on a griffin and got to Annabeth."

"I'm glad you're alive," Nico told Annabeth, pulling her into a hug.

"Me too, hell boy," Annabeth smiled. Then she looked around. "Where's Thalia?"

"Thalia!" Nico exclaimed. "She went after Nemesis! We've got to help – "

But he was cut off by a scream that echoed through the mountains. Nico gasped and threw his arms around himself as if trying to protect himself.

"Nico!" Annabeth cried. "What's the matter?"

"Thalia…" Nico whispered. He looked up at their faces, desperation evident in his features. "Something terrible happened. I can feel her life aura rapidly fading away."

"No!" Percy shouted, horrified. "No way!"

"Nico, where is she?" Annabeth asked urgently.

Nico closed his eyes and concentrated on where he could feel death's presence. His eyes snapped open.

"Follow me."

* * *

><p>Thalia lay on the rocky ground, trying to breathe – but unsuccessfully. So this was where it ended. Her life was about to finish in just a few moments.<p>

She spent her time recalling her most intimate memories, memories that she'd shared with no one. She remembered the few years where her mother had been almost normal, the time when her brother had been born and then lost just a few years later, how everything had gone downhill from there, but then she found Luke. She remembered the times the two of them had spent together, and then Annabeth came along. Initially, she'd been jealous, but then she got to know Annabeth and grew fond of her, and then her jealousy subsided. She remembered how they'd found Camp Half Blood, and the battle where she'd turned into a pine tree. She remembered the slow years as a pine where she'd learnt to observe her surroundings, and the feeling of helplessness. In a way, it was similar to how she felt now.

Then she remembered the feeling of freedom when she became a human again. She remembered how she thought Percy was an idiot in the beginning but later grew so close to him. She remembered how it hurt to lose Zoe and how she felt glad to have Annabeth back.

She remembered how she felt betrayed by Luke and how he was the reason she joined the Hunters of Artemis. She remembered her time as the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, the good times with her sisters, the hunts, the fun they had. She remembered how boys would flirt with them and regret it once they got beaten up. She remembered how there was just one boy who couldn't be hurt, one who'd listen to his sister's endless scolding and continue what he was doing as soon as she was doing, the boy who exasperated Lady Artemis to no end. She remembered Apollo.

Apollo. Somehowshe knew that _he _was the reason she was alive. She remembered how she'd begun to like his laid-back attitude and coolness about everything. She remembered how she'd begun to respect him once she got to know him better and realized that behind the carefree boy, there was an intelligent man. She remembered the way he would talk about things he was passionate about, the fondness with which he spoke of his sister, the passion that music ignited in him, the way he was the world's most terrible liar…

She remembered how he'd been so pained to see her go. She knew now why. She remembered how he'd held her and made her feel safe, secure. She remembered the feelings that coursed through her body when he kissed her, the strength, the courage, the feeling safety and love that his kiss gave her. It was almost like a blessing to her.

And then it hit her. His kiss _was _a blessing. Now that she noticed, when she'd been thinking about him, she couldn't feel the pain. The words he'd said to her came rushing back to her memory.

"Thalia, be careful. And… remember – remember moments that were special to you in times of pain."

Well, she would do just that.

She concentrated on him, and him only. Everywhere she looked, she could see him holding her, healing her, loving her. She could see the power and energy emitting from him.

She knew he was her saving grace.

* * *

><p>"How did she leap over that?" asked Percy incredulously. He was pointing to a twenty feet gap between two cliffs over which Thalia and Nemesis had crossed to fight.<p>

"Fury," Annabeth replied. "And besides, she's a daughter of Zeus."

"Well, we can't jump over that," said Percy.

"I know. We'll just have to find a path through the mountains," Annabeth replied grimly.

"That can take ages!" Nico protested.

"Well, can you think of a better option?" Percy demanded.

The corners of Nico's lips turned upwards into a small, brief smile.

"As a matter of fact, I can."

He shut his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, cracks started appearing in the ground.

"Whoa!" said Percy as the ground underneath him began to tear apart.

And just as suddenly the cracking started, it stopped. A small group of skeletons, each about five feet tall appeared out of the cracks.

"I need a bridge!" Nico commanded. "Now!"

"The dead will rise to help you," Annabeth whispered, remembering Hades' words.

"Which they apparently are doing, by lying down in that creepy way?" Percy asked dubiously.

The first skeleton grabbed the cliff securely and let the rest of his body hang down. Another skeleton walked over him and grabbed his feet. A third followed suit.

"Nico, we can't cross that way!" Annabeth exclaimed, realizing what the skeletons were doing. "Their weight will just make them hang down."

"Watch," said Nico unperturbed.

As he said that, a fourth skeleton grabbed the third one's ankles and in an amazing feat of acrobatics, swung himself upwards and managed to lodge his feet onto the other side of the cliff. A fifth skeleton quickly ran over them all and held on to the fourth one's legs, thereby straightening the bridge.

"Wow," said Annabeth.

"We're going to cross that?" Percy gulped. There was no support on the side, just the bodies of the skeletons. It was creepy.

"We have no choice," Nico replied.

"But will the skeletons hold up?" Percy asked doubtfully.

"Percy, they're just a pile of bones. Bones are strong. And they're dead. They don't feel pain. Its okay," said Annabeth impatiently.

"Okay… lets go," Percy muttered.

The three of them made their way over to the skeletons. Nico was the first.

"Whatever you do, don't look down," he warned them.

He stepped on the skeleton's body. The skeleton didn't even flinch or stagger. He walked forward, balancing himself carefully.

"Come on," he said to Annabeth and Percy.

Annabeth went next. Percy insisted on it. He wanted Nico and himself to be able to catch her if she fell. Annabeth had rolled her eyes at that.

Carefully they walked on. The last skeleton grabbed Nico's hand to steady him and Nico stepped on to the other side.

"Aah!" Annabeth shrieked as the skeleton's cold, harsh grip took her hand. She lost her balance and would have fallen if Percy wouldn't have caught her.

"Careful, Wise Girl," said Percy.

Nico gave out his hand to Annabeth and she took it gratefully.

The skeleton wasn't supposed to have feelings, but Percy could've sworn it looked offended, so he grabbed the skeleton's hand instead of Nico's. He shuddered involuntarily as he realized he was holding something that was supposed to be dead.

Finally, all three of them had crossed.

"Thank you," Nico told the skeletons. They saluted to him and let go of each other, falling into empty space.

"So… they're dying again?" Percy asked.

Nico shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They'll come alive when they're needed."

Annabeth shivered. She was _not _liking all this talk of the dead. It scared her about Thalia.

"Lets go, guys," she urged them.

The three of them hiked as swiftly as they could towards Thalia. Her location was obvious now because of the battleground scene that greeted them. The bushes were chopped up, branches of small trees had fallen, the ground had footprints and marks where someone might have fallen. But the worst was the line of blood and ichor on the ground. All three of them quickened their pace – especially because there was more of blood.

Nico halted suddenly.

"Move on!" Annabeth cried.

"Her life aura is suddenly neither increasing nor decreasing," Nico whispered. He looked up at Percy and Annabeth with new hope ignited in his eyes. "She isn't dying – for now, anyway. We can save her! But we've got to be quick."

The three of them sprinted the last few meters, being careful to not step on the streams of blood and ichor that were pooling together into a delta.

And they came to a sudden, shocked stop.

Thalia lay on the ground, her eyes closed, a smile on her face, a golden glow surrounding her. The aura was healing minor cuts and bruises. But the horrifying thing was all the blood from a large gash on her arm that ran from her shoulder to the very tip of her middle finger.

Annabeth sank to her knees, hands covering her open mouth. She had never seen her friend in such a bad state. Tears streamed down her face.

"Shh," Nico said in a low voice. "Whatever you do, don't disturb her."

"Why?" asked Percy. "We need to help her!"

"No," Annabeth whispered. "Its Apollo's blessing. Can't you see? Its healing her. Let it do as much as it can."

"But she needs our help!" Percy cried, rushing forward but his friends pulled him back.

"Not right now," Annabeth told him, restraining his arms. She buried her head in his chest and he reluctantly put his arms around her.

The three of them watched Thalia anxiously. Occasionally, she'd shake as if she'd been electrocuted and the three of them would be tempted to run to her but they restrained themselves.

Slowly, the glow began to fade away. The shaking became more frequent and violent.

"Now!" Annabeth told them.

"Thalia!" she yelled. The girl took no notice.

"Thalia!" she yelled louder this time, her voice breaking.

"Thalia! Wake up!" Percy shouted.

Thalia's body slowly stopped shaking. Annabeth was the first to reach her.

"Thalia!" she cried, cradling her head in her lap.

"Annabeth," Thalia managed to choke out. She smiled weakly and lifted up blood stained fingers to stroke her cheek. Annabeth could see the tremendous amount of effort it took for this small gesture.

"You're going to be okay, Thals," Annabeth said, trying to hide her despair.

Thalia just sighed.

Annabeth let out a stifled cry. Percy reached her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, Thalia will be fine," he said determinedly. "We can't lose hope. We need to help her."

Annabeth nodded. "First things first. Percy, give her some ambrosia. Quick!"

Percy complied.

"Annabeth, the wounds. Treat the big ones. They're sucking the life out of her – literally," said Nico urgently.

Annabeth nodded. She gingerly lifted Thalia's left arm. Thalia screamed in pain.

"Its terrible," Annabeth said. "But we need to get the blood to stop flowing."

"How?" asked Percy.

"Percy, we have emergency medical supplies, right? Gauze. I need gauze. Get out as much as we have," Annabeth commanded.

Percy did as he was told.

"Nico, Percy, help me wrap it around her arm. Percy, hold her arm straight. Nico, help me wrap it."

Percy gingerly lifted Thalia's arm. She screamed.

Percy stroked her head. "You'll be fine. Please, fight the pain, Thalia. You'll be okay."

"Shouldn't we give her a pain killer?" Nico questioned.

Annabeth shook her head. "Stopping the bleeding is more important."

They wrapped a layer of gauze around her arm. It was soaked with blood.

"Percy, elevate her arm so that its above her heart. It'll make the blood flow down!"

Percy lifted Thalia's arm and saw her bite her lip to stop from crying out. She was trying her best to make this easier for them.

Nico and Annabeth continued wrapping the gauze around her arm. Finally, they'd run out of gauze. Thalia's arm looked like it was covered in plaster. All the while, Percy had been gingerly pressing the arm between Thalia's shoulder and elbow as Annabeth had told him to, trying to use pressure points to stop the bleeding.

Thalia coughed. She spat out blood. Annabeth's eyes were wide.

"Thalia," she whispered. "Does your chest hurt?"

Thalia managed to nod. "Its killing me," she whispered.

Annabeth closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to Apollo.

"What happened?" Percy asked her.

"Broken ribs. If there are three or more, they can be life threatening," Annabeth whispered.

"What can we do?" he asked urgently.

"Nothing," Annabeth shook her head. "We can only give her non steroid anti inflammatory medicines and painkillers."

She was already rummaging through the backpacks.

"Annabeth," Thalia said faintly. Annabeth didn't hear her.

"Annabeth," she repeated, louder this time. Annabeth turned to her.

"Lady Artemis said – natural medicine – best – emergency – herbs."

She didn't have the strength to frame a proper sentence. But Annabeth understood.

"Thank you mom, Persephone," she said. "Percy, where's my backpack?"

"Here." Her boyfriend tossed her the bag.

She pulled out the book on wild plants and flipped it open.

"Percy, give her some nectar," Annabeth told him, preoccupied with the book.

"What are you doing, Annabeth?" Nico asked, exasperated.

"Shh. Let me concentrate," Annabeth told him.

"You're wasting our time!" Nico raised his voice.

"Nico…" said Percy. "Annabeth knows what she's doing. We can't fight amongst ourselves. We have to live together as a perfect family."

Nico sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just –"

"Guys," Annabeth cut in. "There's eucalyptus all around us. I need it. I need eucalyptus leaves to make eucalyptus oil."

"What does that do?" Percy asked.

"Its analgesic and anti – spasmodic," she replied impatiently.

"What does that do?" Percy repeated.

Annabeth sighed. "It's a very effective pain killer. And it stops muscle spasms."

"All right," Percy replied.

"We're going. We'll be back soon. Take care of yourself," Nico told Annabeth seriously.

"You guys watch out for dragons!" she called out.

"Will do!" Percy replied.

Annabeth watched the two boys go. She was alone with Thalia now.

"Any better?" Annabeth asked Thalia anxiously.

"Not – bleeding," Thalia managed. Well, that was a small relief.

"Thalia, why did the glow surround you? The golden aura…?" Annabeth trailed off.

Thalia smiled. "Would've been – Apollo. Blessing – kiss. Artemis not mad."

And with that jumble of words, Annabeth understood everything.

"Thalia, think about him. Keep at it," Annabeth urged.

"He said – think – what matters most," Thalia said, realizing Annabeth was figuring something out.

"Then do as he says!" cried Annabeth. Thalia nodded weakly.

And slowly, the golden glow surrounded her again, healing the huntress as much as it could.

With that taken care of, she could do nothing for Thalia till the boys came back. So she decided to explore the tent they'd been given. Maybe there would be some helpful supplies.

She hunted through all the bags and finally found it in Thalia's. She pulled it out and set it up as swiftly as she could. She stepped inside and caught her breath.

It was beautiful. It was luxurious. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. In every sense of the word.

For starters, it was huge. It was extremely spacious, the floor wooden (how did they manage to have wooden floor in a portable tent?) and the walls canvas, but somehow she knew they would be as sturdy as bricks.

The whole tent was divided into four rooms – two bedrooms (Artemis had obviously wanted her huntress to not be in the same room as the boys), a sort of sitting cum dining cum living room and a kitchen.

She walked into the kitchen and gasped in total delight. Persephone had obviously known they'd need this because she'd provided a separate part of the kitchen dedicated to medicine – extracting components from herbs, etc. There was elaborate machinery that Annabeth was dying to explore. She noticed a card placed on top of something that was obviously meant for extracting oil from leaves or bark.

**Note: This machine doesn't take as long as the normal human machinery would. It works much faster and better than normal human technology and is designed by Hephaestus out of Persephone's idea herself. Anyone who tries to sell the idea will be incinerated into nothingness by Zeus. Good day to you.**

Annabeth chuckled. It was so Olympian-ish.

"Annabeth!" a voice called her name. Annabeth walked out of the tent. The two boys were back.

"That was quick," she told them. "Did you find any trouble?"

"Just a small dragon," Percy grinned goofily. "The only problem was the stink… otherwise we got a pretty sweet ride on his back to pluck the leaves."

"Okay, guys, follow me inside," Annabeth commanded.

"Inside?" Percy asked. Then he noticed the tent. "Oh, okay."

"What about Thalia?" Nico demanded.

Annabeth bit her lip. She knew they should take her inside, but moving someone with broken ribs was a very bad idea…

"After the analgesic, we'll move her in," Annabeth decided. "It'll hurt too much right now.

"Not necessary," Nico disagreed. "Look at her. She's so deeply engrossed in that glow thing. I don't know what it is but I do know its deep godly magic. Its what's keeping her alive. She won't notice it, not if we're gentle. Besides, every moment we're outside, we're in danger."

Annabeth contemplated this. Nico was right. She gave in.

"All right, drop the leaves in the kitchen and help me move her."

Percy, Nico and Annabeth had carefully lifted Thalia to move her. They were each supporting a section of her body so that she had enough support. Nico had been right. Thalia was so engrossed in her memories that she barely winced when they lifted her.

Now she was lying on a comfortable bed while Annabeth used the machine to extract oil from the Eucalyptus leaves. With normal human machinery, the process would have taken at least three to four hours and wouldn't have produced much oil, but this, of course, was Hephaestus' handiwork. Within minutes, Annabeth had plenty of the oil with her.

"All right, guys, get out," Annabeth commanded.

"Why?" Nico asked.

"I need to massage this onto her chest," Annabeth replied simply.

The two boys blushed and immediately started for the door.

"Uhh… yeah," Percy stammered.

Annabeth chuckled and then pulled Thalia's shirt up, exposing her slim stomach and the skin above her ribs.

And the smile was wiped clean off her face.

The whole of Thalia's skin was covered with purplish bruises. It seemed that Annabeth would have to be extra careful not to hurt her friend.

Gently, she began to rub the oil on the huntress' body. The eucalyptus oil had many medical purposes, and topical application made it act as a painkiller and anti-spasmodic drug. It would also act as a shock reliever, increasing the oxygen and blood flow to the brain.

Annabeth just really hoped it would work.

* * *

><p>Thalia's eyelids fluttered open. She hadn't realized it, but she'd fallen asleep somehow. Maybe it was the smell of eucalyptus that surrounded her.<p>

"Better?" a voice asked her softly.

"Annabeth," said Thalia, a hint of surprise in her voice. She'd been so lost in her dreams that she'd completely forgotten the reality.

"I'm here," Annabeth replied. "How is the pain?"

That was when Thalia noticed the sharp pangs in her chest and arm. But at least she didn't feel like she was dying. It was better.

"Little better," Thalia told her. She started to get up but Annabeth stopped her, furious.

"Are you crazy?" she hollered. "You've got broken ribs and you're trying to sit up!"

Thalia smiled and tried to shrug but the movement hurt too much. She exhaled sharply as Annabeth looked at her, concerned. Thalia tried to ignore it. She hated feeling so helpless.

"Where are Nico and Percy?" she asked.

"Scavenging for things I asked them to get," the younger girl replied.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "What did you ask for?

"Just some medicinal herbs," Annabeth brushed it off. "You rest."

Thalia sighed inwardly. Even that movement hurt. "Yes ma'am."

Annabeth smiled at her.

Five minutes later, Thalia was absolutely bored.

"Bored," Thalia said. She didn't want to speak much as it hurt.

"Practice deep breathing," Annabeth told her absent-mindedly.

Thalia rolled her eyes but listened to her friend. And gasped as the pain took over. Annabeth looked at her, concerned.

"Thalia!"

Thalia stayed silent for several minutes. The tears that had formed in her eyes streamed down.

"Hurts too much," the girl whispered.

"I know," Annabeth replied, patting her head comfortingly. "But you need to breathe. Practice it. You need to recover."

Thalia whimpered, unusual for her. Annabeth looked at her friend a little desperately. She didn't know what to do to comfort her. She squeezed her hand.

Slowly, Thalia inhaled a short breath. It was about as much as she could take without it hurting. She sighed, and breathing in again, a little deeper this time. She winced but kept continuing. A slightly deeper breath the next time – a sharper pang, deeper… it hurt more, but she went on…deeper…

She continued like this until the pain was too unbearable. She decided not to push it more than that.

Annabeth avoided looking at her. It hurt so much to see her friend in this kind of pain. She had tears in her eyes. Why was it always Thalia who had to bear the most pain? She'd died for her and Luke, and now she was barely alive. It wasn't fair.

"Music," Thalia uttered the single word. Annabeth smiled and shook her head.

"You'll start singing and doing head bangs."

"I won't!"

"Who are you trying to kid, Thals?"

"Not Thals. Thalia. Please? Soft music…"

"All right," Annabeth gave in. She had her laptop with her and she opened the songs Thalia had once made her put in it. She opened the playlist of soft songs that Thalia had created just a few months back. It seemed like years.

She hit play and then got back to planning.

"I text a postcard sent to you…" Billy Joe Armstrong sang Last Night On Earth. Despite Annabeth's warning, Thalia tried to sing along, but it hurt too much so she silently enjoyed the music. At least there was something to do.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was trying to calculate where Ethan would be and how long it would take him to come here. She was also trying to confirm whether she was right about the Caucasus having shifted to Georgia in the United States.

She had drawn a rough sketch of the world map and marked Mount Othrys, Greece, Europe and The Caucasus, Georgia, Europe on the map. She'd opened a time and distance calculator and had reconfirmed her suspicions. There were roughly 1846 km/ 1147 miles or 997 nautical miles between them. It took about 7 hour 5 minutes to fly from Tbilisi, Georgia to Athens, Greece. It took roughly the same time from Georgia, U.S.A to San Francisco. They had only about two hours to stop Ethan. But something was constantly nagging her. She felt like she was missing out on something obvious. She went through her notes again.

**Tsbilisi - Athens = 7 hours by air. Georgia - SFO = 7 hours by air. Tsibilisi - Athens by car would take about 22 hours, plus traffic, and driving from Georgia to San Francisco takes the same. By sea…**

And then it hit her. She stopped reading the notes.

"Vlacas!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Thalia asked. "Pause the music."

The Scientist by Coldplay was playing. Thalia was humming to "I was just guessing, at numbers and figures, pulling the puzzles apart…"

"How ironic that that should play when I've just figured something out," thought Annabeth as she paused the song.

"I was wrong," Annabeth told her. "Why would Ethan come here by air, or by sea for that matter? And wouldn't Zeus and Poseidon have sensed his presence? His only safe area is the ground. He'd obviously travel by road!"

Thalia still looked confused. "That's good, right? I mean, it gives us much more time."

"Oh my gods, I'm such a moron," Annabeth groaned.

"I never thought Athena's daughter would call herself an idiot," Percy smirked, sauntering in with Nico behind him. They both were carrying a bunch of leaves and flowers in their hands, which they proceeded to dump on the nearby table.

Annabeth glowered at Percy. "I'm becoming stupider. And its all because of you."

Nico chuckled. "I bet that's why Athena didn't want her smartest daughter dating Poseidon's stupidest son."

"Yeah, yeah," Percy grumbled. "Enough jokes at my expense. Annabeth, what happened?"

Annabeth was immediately serious. "I was an absolute fool to not see this before, but oh well. If Ethan Nakamura would have been travelling by air, wouldn't he already be here? Think about it. We reached La Guardia about three hours after Apollo's vision. It took us six and a half hours to fly from La Guardia to San Francisco Airport. From there to dad's was about half an hour. We spent at least two hours there. We were at the Garden of the Hesperides an hour later, spent an hour there and climbed up for about half an hour before we met Nemesis. Since then, we've spent about five hours here."

"That's…" Percy started to say, counting on his fingers.

"Nineteen and a half hours," Annabeth sighed. "Apollo said we had an hour or two before the vision begins to happen. That gives us seventeen to eighteen and a half hours."

"Driving from Georgia to San Francisco is about 1 day 18 hours," said Nico.

"So that means we have one day to get ready. What's so bad about that?" Percy repeated Thalia's question.

"Nothing!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Just that I can't believe I was so stupid."

The others chuckled. Annabeth _hated _being wrong or not knowing things.

"Okay, guys, you got everything?" Annabeth asked.

They nodded.

"Everything?" she stressed.

"Yes, Annabeth," Percy and Nico sighed.

"The _Hercaleum Maximum_?"

"What's that?" asked Percy, confused and alarmed at the same time.

"The Cow Parsnip thing," Nico replied. "That white flower."

"Oh, that!" Percy sighed with relief. Then his eyes shone with excitement. He picked a bunch of the small, white flowers and put it in Annabeth's hair.

"Here, ma'am," he whispered.

"Cheesy idiot," Thalia said, rolling her eyes. Nico grinned.

"Thank you," Annabeth smiled. "The Red Robin?"

"The death come quickly plant," Nico chuckled.

"I hate the name," Thalia muttered.

"California poppy?" Annabeth questioned.

Percy confirmed it. Thalia's eyes widened.

"Annabeth! Poppy seeds are used to make drugs! What are you doing with a plant that makes drugs?" Thalia demanded.

"Yeah… poppy seeds are used to make opium. But this is different from that poppy. When smoked, this just acts as a mild sedative. As an aqueous solution, it acts as a sedative and anti-anxiety drug" Annabeth replied.

"What are you doing with that?" the huntress asked, still suspicious. It was the longest sentence she'd spoken after being injured and it took a great deal of effort. Then she groaned.

"Don't answer that. Its for me, isn't it?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Annabeth, I don't need it!" Thalia exclaimed, and her muffled cry of pain contradicted her statement.

"You do," said Annabeth firmly, and Thalia knew there was no turning back. "I'll be back."

"Play the damn song first," Thalia said sulkily. Annabeth smiled. Thalia was so _not _used to be taken care of.

The daughter of Athena turned to the two boys.

"What are you two doing sitting there like that?" she asked. "Come make yourselves useful."

"Yes ma'am, " they muttered and sighed.

Annabeth wouldn't let anyone stay idle and waste their time.

* * *

><p>Some time later, the four of them were ready to move.<p>

Annabeth was finally done playing doctor. She'd applied a poultice – which was a soft, moist mass of bread, meal, clay, or other adhesive substance, usually heated, spread on cloth, and applied to warm, moisten, or stimulate an aching or inflamed part of the body – of the Cow Parsnip herb to all of Thalia's bruises, which were quite a few. She had used the Red Robin herb on Thalia's massive cut to prevent scarring and help it heal. She knew full well that it would leave a scar, but at least the plant might make it lighter. She had also made her drink a disgusting tasting herbal tea infused with California Poppy to act as a sedative and anxiolytic drug – which meant that Thalia was peacefully unconscious.

Currently, the four of them were hiking down Mount Tamalpais to Stinson Beach with Thalia in Nico's arms.

Percy had contacted his dad and he'd been alarmed at Thalia's condition. Currently, mermen and women were making their way towards Stinson Beach to carry Thalia down to Poseidon's Palace to treat her injuries.

"What are we going to do after Thalia is with dad?" Percy asked.

"Ambush Nakamura when he comes to Mount Othrys," Annabeth replied, determinedly.

"But that's crazy!" Nico protested. "We'll all die! Kronos' forces will get to know! Kronos will know something's wrong. Ethan will have Zeus knows how many monsters with him!"

"It's the only way," Annabeth snapped. "Do you have a better idea? We _have _to do this. If we're stealthy, nothing will go wrong."

Nico sighed. He knew that they had no better plan. Getting other demigods was out of the question – that would raise Kronos' suspicions too much. The gods couldn't interfere because of the rules that bound them. Thalia was injured and definitely in no shape to fight. It was up to the three of them against untold evil.

"Look!" Percy cried, having glimpsed the ocean – his home. "We're nearly there!"

The three of them picked up their pace. Finally, they reached the beach.

Stinson beach was a long stretch of white sand meeting the grey water. It was usually blue, but not today. Even so, it was beautiful. A few green plants grew to the edge of the beach, marking the boundaries of the beach. The waves were high and crashed loudly down on the rocks. The sky was covered with ominous black clouds that thundered loudly, threatening to unleash their rage. In other words – Poseidon and Zeus were anxious and furious.

The beach was almost deserted; no one would be stupid enough to come here in such weather. There were just a few daring surfers catchin' the huge waves.

As Percy came closer to the beach, he noticed that the conch horn bead on his neck was tingling furiously and growing hotter and hotter. He yanked the necklace off his neck and pulled the bead out, examining it closely. He spotted something on it. Squinting, he was able to make out it was something in Greek. A message.

"Come on, Percy," said Nico. "Move it."

"Do you have a magnifying glass?" Percy asked urgently.

"No, I don't," Nico replied, puzzled.

"What's the matter, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked.

"I need a magnifying glass," Percy told her. "Do you have one?"

Annabeth shook her head.

Percy groaned. "Can't this thing grow any bigger?"

And it did. The bead obeyed his command and grew as large as a real conch horn. Finally, Percy could make out what it said.

'**ταν θα πάμε στη μάχη και να ξέρετε την αυτοκτονία της θα σας βοηθήσει να κερδίσετε. Όταν είστε μόνοι και απελπιστεί, και χρειάζονται μια χείρα βοηθείας, θα είμαστε εκεί για μας καλούν, ο Περσέας Jackson, o μεγάλος γιος του Ποσειδώνα και του στρατού του Ωκεανού θα είναι στο πλευρό σας.'**

'**When you're going into battle and you know its suicide, we'll help you win. When you're lonely and despaired, and need a helping hand, we'll be there for you. Just summon us, Perseus Jackson, o great Son of Poseidon and the army of the Ocean will be by your side.'**

Percy couldn't believe his eyes. He'd been wearing help around his stupid neck for so long and didn't even realize it. He put the horn to his lips and blew it.

The cry of the conch horn echoed around the beach. The ocean thundered in response, and the waves started crashing higher than ever. It looked like a tsunami would be approaching. The courageous surfers lost their guts ran away from the beach.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted over the roar of the ocean.

"What?" she shouted back.

"I have a plan."

* * *

><p>A massive storm was going on. The sky was pouring torrents of rain down on the earth and huge waves of the sea came crashing down onto the shore.<p>

Two boys and a girl stood on the Golden Gate Bridge, determination in their eyes. They were unperturbed by the storm. A few cars whizzed by, the people in a hurry to get to the safety of their homes. They gave the three children disbelieving looks. No one was stupid enough to stand outside in what was obviously going to be a major storm. As the last few cars went past, the roads were empty.

"Now!" the girl commanded. She had black hair that was impeccably straight.

The two boys with her started pouring a golden liquid on the road. One of them was blonde and the other was a redhead. The girl helped them out.

"Its not sticky," the blonde boy observed.

"I doubt it will help us," said the redhead.

"Shut up, N- I mean, carrot top," the girl told him. She glared at him with her stormy grey eyes.

"Come on, Wise Girl," the blonde guy said to the girl, putting his arm around her shoulders. "We're in disguise, but we don't need fake names. No one's eavesdropping."

The girl sighed. "I know, Percy. I guess I'm just paranoid. We _are _well disguised. I couldn't recognize myself in the mirror. Apollo's potion's were great!"

"The worst thing was that _I _had to get the freaking red hair! I can't believe I'll look like this for the next six months!" the boy – or Nico – complained.

"You look cool," the blonde Percy grinned.

"Your hair colour suits your intelligence quotient," said Nico, settling the score.

"Look!" Annabeth cried. She looked great with her new emo-ish hairstyle. Even Thalia might have been jealous.

The boys turned to where she was pointing and saw the road was glowing a gentle golden.

"They're coming," Annabeth whispered. "Remember, we need to act like homeless tramps."

That wasn't too hard for them, as they'd completely dirtied and torn their clothes. They weren't clothes anymore – they were rags. They'd even rolled in the mud so that there was dirt on their faces and in their hair.

An expensive car was speeding along the road. As it neared the demigods, it stopped. It was stuck. All thanks to another of Apollo's liquids, they'd trapped the car. All they did was remember who they wanted to capture while spreading it.

The occupant of the shotgun seat was a boy with an eye patch on one eye. He was sitting next to a pretty girl who could have been a cheerleader or model.

Only to mortals, of course.

For the truth was, that the boy was a demigod – Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis, and the girl next to him was none other than Kelli the Empousa.

"Why aren't we moving?" Ethan demanded.

"I don't know. We're stuck," said the empousa. When you saw her without the Mist, you could see she had flaming hair with white skin, fangs and one prosthetic bronze leg and one donkey leg. Empousai were monsters created by Hecate, the goddess of magic, and were the origin of all the vampire stories you read about.

"Then find out what the problem is!" the demigod snapped.

For a moment, Kelli was tempted to just lure Ethan and drink his blood, but she couldn't. _Not yet_. She didn't like him one bit. She thought he was absolutely useless.

"Alright," she replied sweetly.

She stepped out of the car…

…And screamed.

A dagger stabbed her in the back and she disintegrated into a pile of monster dust. The blonde turned black haired girl took off her Yankees cap.

"Ethan Nakamura," she regarded him coldly.

Ethan didn't waste time asking questions such as 'Who are you'. He knew the girl, whoever she was, wouldn't reply.

He simply dialed '111'. It gave out a signal to all the other monsters that had been following him.

And the road started gleaming brighter.

"He's called reinforcements!" Annabeth cried.

Moments later, a huge army was marching towards the three demigods.

Percy and Nico had already hauled Ethan out of the car, and now Percy was dragging him over to the edge of the bridge, just about to jump into the seemingly menacing waters of the ocean.

"Help!" Nakamura screamed. "Are you crazy!"

"No!" was Percy's curt reply.

He was just about to throw Ethan down into the black waters of the ocean, when his eyes met Ethan's, or rather, met Ethan's one eye.

The fear in them stopped him for a moment. It was enough for Percy's plan to go to waste and for Nakamura to recognize who he was.

"Percy Jackson!" he exclaimed.

At the very same moment, Percy was flung away. A hellhound had grabbed his shirt and thrown him away.

He landed onto the hard concrete ground and hit his head hard. He could feel blood oozing out from the side. But he had bigger problems right now. He rolled onto the side to avoid a huge paw slamming down on him and uncapped Riptide.

It grew into a meter long sword made of celestial bronze. He rolled again, this time directly under the hellhound's stomach and it disintegrated into monster dust. He got up and saw Annabeth running towards him.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, no longer caring about not using his real name. Their disguise was blown anyway.

"Look out!" Percy yelled back. Annabeth turned in time to see a hydra's heads spitting acid at her. Percy ran to her and tackled her to the ground. A section of the bridge got eaten away.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, his lips inches from hers as he pinned her down.

"Yeah," Annabeth replied. "Thanks."

"My pleasure," Percy replied, getting off her. He blushed as he noticed their position for the first time. Annabeth's cheeks were red too, and without a word, she slammed her dagger into a dracaena – a snake woman with a female body and a serpent's trunk. – that was behind Percy.

* * *

><p>Nico was having fun. He was pure destruction. Since he was a child of the Underworld, the hellhounds did nothing to him. Currently, he was riding atop one of them and leading a pack of about ten hellhounds forward, trampling monsters that came in his way. He slammed his sword made of Stygian iron into any monsters that dared to come near him.<p>

All was good until a hydra spat acid onto his hellhound's feet. The hellhound whined and collapsed to the ground, knocking Nico off its back. An army of hydras had completely covered all of Nico's hellhounds in acid, and it was eating them away. Nico looked away from them. The sight was absolutely disgusting. It was eating away the darkness that created them, sending them back to the Underworld. Now Nico was completely surrounded by hydras that spat acid and he had no way to kill them. If he cut off one head, two would grow back in its place. The only way was to burn them. But he had no fire. He was going to be mincemeat.

The first hydra attacked. Nico ducked and the acid fell onto the hydra standing right behind him. It barely affected it.

"How will I fight them?" Nico thought to himself, despaired. This would be the end of him. The Son of Death was going to die. It was so ironic. At least he'd meet Bianca…

_Remember who you are._

Nico's senses snapped open. Who was that talking to him?

Before he could answer that, he dodged a ball of acid flying towards him and stabbed a hydra's stomach. It merely wounded it.

_Don't forget, Nico, you're my son. You have a share of my power deep inside you. You are my blood._

"Dad?" said Nico. "Where are you?"

Nico defended himself against more acid spit with the blade of his sword. His sword began to melt.

_I can talk to you, Nico. I'm in your head. You need fire to kill these monsters. Don't you have it?_

And suddenly it hit Nico. He did. Legends said that Hades would split the Earth into two and make it spit fire. Well, if his father could, so could he.

He concentrated his thoughts to the ground around him. He imagined his power – the Son of Hades. He could show these monsters their worst fears. He could split the Earth and make these monsters burn in fire.

And that was exactly what he did.

The ground around him started cracking. The hydra's retreated in terror but there was another crack opening up in the Earth. It was like the monsters were trapped between two circles with no way out. And then the flames shot up.

They burnt hot, an angry bright red, daring anyone to attack Nico.

The ring of fire around the demigod seemed to have a life of its own. The fire spread and licked up the hydras, sending their souls to the Underworld.

_Well done, son. I'm proud of you. _

Nico was ecstatic. He had summoned fire out of the ground. He had killed the hydras. _His father was proud of him_.

That was his last thought before he dropped to the ground, unconscious, protected by the circle of fire around him.

* * *

><p>Percy was tired. He and Annabeth had assumed their back to back defense position again and had been fighting against monsters without break. Empousai, Dracaenae, Hell-hounds, Telekhines, they'd fought them all. All except Hydras.<p>

Suddenly, the ground started shaking violently. Everyone stopped fighting. Percy and Annabeth used this as an opportunity to finish of the last monsters surrounding them and turned to where everyone was staring.

Nico's face looked like he was concentrating hard, and then flames burst out of the ground. The couple watched in astonishment as each and every Hydra was burnt in the fire. Now that he had started it, it looked effortless for Nico. He looked blissful - like his dad had praised him or something.

And seconds after the last of the monsters died, Nico collapsed. The circle of fire around him prevented monsters from coming close to him.

"Nico!" Annabeth shouted as she ran towards him. Percy ran after her.

An empousa came in her way and she barely noticed it as Percy stabbed the monster with his sword and raced after his girlfriend.

Annabeth skidded to a stop. The flames prevented her from going to him, but now that she was closer, she could see the flames charring his forehead and burning his face.

"Percy!" she cried, pointing to Nico. Percy glanced his way and a dracaena used the opportunity to knock Percy off his was going to impale him with her spear.

"NO!" Annabeth screamed as she ran towards him. But she wouldn't make it in time. The distance was too great and there were too many monsters.

Everything seemed hopeless.

And then the sea roared.

The waves of the sea were higher than ever, and they came crashing down onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Monsters were thrown off their feet and into the sea.

The ocean rose so high that it covered the bridge. Most monsters drowned, and the ones who were alive were trying to escape.

Annabeth burst up above the surface of water and caught her breath.

"Annabeth!" a voice shouted to her. "Lets make the monsters go boom."

And Annabeth turned to see the smiling face of Percy's one-eyed cyclops brother. Tyson had a big brown stick in his hand and he was followed by many more cyclopses, all of them carrying sticks. Behind them were mermen and mermaids, armed with proper weapons - swords, javelins, spears, and the lot. None of them carried bows and arrows - it wouldn't make sense for Poseidon's army to carry them, they were all terrible shots.

"Tyson!" Annabeth cried.

"Climb on my back!"

Annabeth did so, hanging on to the cyclops as he swam forward. All around, there were mermen and mermaids, finishing off the remaining monsters that had not been drowned by the rising of the sea.

"Tyson! We need to get Nico!" Annabeth shouted.

"OK Annabeth!" Tyson replied. He looked around and then spotted something red floating on the water. He swam toward it swiftly. Nico was still unconcious, but thankfully he'd survived.

Percy's half-brother scooped up the Son of Hades in his arms and called one of the other cyclopses.

"Jeremy!" he yelled. "Take care of him!"

"I'll make him go BOOM!" the cyclops named Jeremy replied.

"NO!" Annabeth shouted. "Not THAT take care. The other one!"

"Oh. Okie-dokie," Jeremy replied. He pulled the unconcious boy onto his back and swam away.

"He'll be okay, right?" Annabeth asked worriedly. Tyson nodded.

"Jeremy likes making monsters go BOOM. But he's good, strong and kind. My best friend."

"Good to know," Annabeth told him, smiling.

"Where's Percy?" she asked,having found no sign of him anywhere.

"Don't worry, Annabeth. Percy is Daddy's son. He can take care of himself!" said Tyson proudly.

Annabeth couldn't help but smile and be reassured at Tyson's childish behaviour.

"All right," she said. Then she spotted a dark haired figure swimming away towards the direction of Mount Tamalpais.

"Tyson!" said Annabeth urgently, pointing towards him. "We need to get to him."

"OK. Hang on tight!" Tyson warned Annabeth and started swimming furiously towards the boy. He was going so fast it was almost like he was gliding on the water. Annabeth was blinded by the salt water, she couldn't see.

She felt Tyson stop. She opened her eyes to see Ethan Nakamura in front of her, looking up fearfully at Tyson.

"I'll take it from here, big guy," Annabeth told Tyson. She slid off his back.

"Find Percy," she told him. "Tell him we need to take Nico and go!"

Tyson nodded. "Be careful, Annabeth."

"I will," Annabeth smiled. Tyson swam away, and Ethan Nakamura was in for Annabeth's wrath.

She glared at him, her stormy grey eyes more intense because of her black hair.

"You ungrateful little bástardos," she said menacingly, using the Greek word for 'bastard'. "Percy spared your life. How did you repay him? By going and helping Kronos."

"Kronos will win!" Ethan cried, though his voice was week. Annabeth really was scary at the moment. Scarier than her mother had been in a long while - which was saying a lot.

"Fool!" Annabeth yelled. "Kronos is using you! Once you've outlived your usefulness, he'll kill you!"

"No..." said Ethan, though he looked like he was trying to convince himself that Annabeth was wrong.

"Your mother stands for balance. Balance of good and bad. Well, I don't think you've balanced out the 'good' in your life with the 'bad', because you've never DONE ANYTHING GOOD!" Annabeth screamed, losing it finally.

Ethan Nakamura couldn't take it anymore. He drew his sword and went straight for her throat, but Annabeth had been expecting it. She dodged and stabbed his hand, making him scream in pain and drop his sword. She picked it up and put her dagger at his throat, his sword at the back of his neck.

"I am a daughter of Athena," Annabeth whispered. "A daughter of the goddess of War and Wisdom. Do you think you can defeat me?"

Ethan gulped. Annabeth pressed the point of her dagger a little harder at his throat.

"Annabeth!" a familiar voice yelled to her. It was the voice of her most favourite person in the world. But she couldn't turn away from this blind demigod because of whom her best friend was badly injured, because of whom they had to come on this stupid quest in the first place.

"Annabeth!" he yelled, louder, more forceful this time. Reluctantly, she left Ethan. She still kept her dagger at the small of his back.

"Move forward," she commanded. They didn't notice, but the sea had begun to drain down. They waded through the water to a waiting Percy. Tyson and Jeremy grabbed each of Ethan's arms and there was no way he could escape now. Percy pulled Annabeth into a long hug, giving out a hundred messages without using words. 'Its okay, I'm safe. We're all safe. This quest is finished. We can go back home. Are you okay?'

There were so many questions, unasked, unanswered, but the two of them were perfectly in sync, almost as if they could read each others minds.

"Lets go, Wise Girl," Percy whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Where were you?" Annabeth asked.

"Fetching our ride back home," Percy smiled.

"And that is...?"

"Remember Hephaestus and Aphrodite's blessing? That the automatons would help us and we'd have charm and beauty on our side?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Well, I suppose that worked for automatons too. I found an automaton of a giant eagle and his wife. She was reluctant to let her husband go... but in the end, I guess Aphrodite's blessing worked," Percy grinned.

Annabeth pretended to look angry. "Just how much did you flirt with her?"

Percy brushed it away non-nonchalantly. "Not much, really." His face contradicted his statement.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, actually a little angry this time.

"Kidding," Percy grinned. "Lets go, Wise Girl."

"I want details!" Annabeth told him, but took his hand.

"We take your prisoner to daddy's palace on fish ponies!" Tyson told them.

"I know you'll handle him well," Percy told his half-brother.

"I will miss you," said the cyclops, his lower lip wobbling a little.

"Me too, big guy," Percy replied, a little alarmed to find a tear in his eye. He hugged Tyson and winced.

"Not that hard, Tyson."

"Sorry," Tyson grinned.

"I know you'll do a great job of taking Ethan away safely. The next time we meet, we'll have fun," Percy promised.

Tyson looked enthusiastic. "We'll eat peanut butter and ride fish-ponies and make things go BOOM! Annabeth, you'll be there too?" he said happily.

"I will, Tyson," Annabeth smiled. Her boyfriend's half-brother was so childishly cute.

"We'd better get going," said Percy. Annabeth nodded. Percy climbed up first and Annabeth last, and they wedged a sleeping Nico between them.

"We succeeded," Annabeth said smiling as they soared away.

"We sure did," Percy replied. "And Thalia's better. She's with Apollo. When the mermen came and took her, they took her straight to Olympus."

"That's great!" Annabeth exclaimed."I'm glad you discovered your gift. We would've been dead without it."

"I'm glad too," Percy grinned. "When Nico burned the Hydra's, it was amazing, wasn't it?"

"I know, I'd never tell him, but it was!" Annabeth agreed.

"I already heard you, Annabeth," Nico grinned.

"Nico!" Percy and Annabeth exclaimed together.

"I'm so cool, aint I? You've got to love me," Nico smirked.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I can't wait for a pizza after this."

"Me too!" said Nico.

"Well, we'll get to Olympus soon enough," said Annabeth, smiling.

And finally after a lot of worrying and efforts, the quest ended on a positive note. They succeeded.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew! The end! Now I'm off to eat some cake! Hope you liked it! Review please :D Next update will be out ASAP! I've got some work left but as I already told you, characters read the books chapters don't take extremely long. It should be up soon. Also, school starts next week for me. I'm sorry, but I'll only be able to update once a week at the most. I'll try my hardest to be regular, but please understand if I'm not :)<strong>

**Thanks guys! Can't wait to know how you like it.**

**- I Tripped Over Reality  
><strong>

**Clarifications:**

**These quest chapters are NOT side plots. They're part of the main plot that will come into play when I'm done doing all the chapters of TLO.**

**Yes, I will be reading all chapters from TLO. I will finish the book.**

**Once the book is over, the story won't be finished. The fight with Kronos will still be left! That'll either be a sequel or a continuation of this fic.**

**And many people asked  
><strong>

**# ****NOTE****# **_**- The medical stuff and research in this chapter may be wrong/ off, but this story is of course, purely fictional. Forgive me if the medical stuff and USA travels in this are wrong (more will be comin' up), but I hate Biology (so I've researched and tried to make it as accurate as possible) and I'm not native to America, nor have I visited it, so everything I write about it is based on pictures, research and word of mouth information. Anyone who wants to help with that is welcome. More than welcome, in fact. I'd love you for it! **_

**##NOTE 2## - **_**I don't know if there are giant Eagle automatons in San Francisco. I created them anyway.  
><strong>_


	9. My cookies get scorched

**Yes!**

**I Tripped Over Reality has FINALLY updated! YES! I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!**

**My gods... I am extremely sorry for the delay. But school started. School always delays stuff. **

**So, I'm sorry but updates aren't gonna be too quick :(**

**To make it faster, I'm gonna continue only two of my stories for now. Help me out! Which ones should I continue? **

**Check out the poll on my profile and do vote****! **

**If you're feeling too lazy for that, do tell me which two stories I should continue in a review/PM**.

**Thanks! Since I didn't want to keep you all waiting longer, I didn't put up the thanking stuff here. I'll send review replies and stuff in PMs :) Only the unsigned review replies are here -**

**NicoDiAngeloIsAwesome: I know! I updated as fast as I could. Thanks for reviewing!**

**And last thing... check out my forum - Live it up: Percy Jackson. More details at the end of the chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**PS: So sorry for the crappy chapter. **

* * *

><p>Thalia's eyes fluttered open. She was staring up at a room with a white ceiling. The bed she was on was extremely comfortable, and the cool, filtered air of the air conditioning provided a pleasant atmosphere.<p>

For a moment, she couldn't remember what had happened. Then everything came rushing back to her, the party to celebrate Percy and Annabeth dating, Apollo fainting, his vision, going for the quest, Annabeth falling down, fighting with Nemesis, and then being treated like a baby by Annabeth… Drinking that horrible tasting tea and then feeling the heaviness in her eyelids.

She tried to sit up but a pair of hands restrained her.

"Don't."

Apollo's voice broke through her drowsiness.

"Apollo?" asked Thalia, surprised. Where was she? Where were Percy, Annabeth, and Nico? Had they failed? Had Ethan gotten away? "W-what happened? Why am I here? Where is everyone else?"

Then she noticed something. Her chest didn't hurt as bad.

"Relax. You're fine. After you fell unconscious, Percy IMed Poseidon and told him to send his mermen to get you back to Olympus. They treated you as best as they could and then brought you to me." Apollo smiled. "I promised I'd heal you if you survive, didn't I?"

"What about Annabeth? And Percy and Nico? Where are they? And the quest?"

She sat up and this time Apollo couldn't stop her. He took her hand. "Relax. They're fine. They're on their way back."

"Oh."

She tried to stop the butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't feel this way! She was a huntress! The Lieutenant!

"I know what you're thinking," said Apollo quietly. "Let me tell you a story."

"A story?" asked Thalia, confused.

"Yeah," Apollo replied. "Now listen. You know about Orion?"

Thalia nodded. "He was Lady Artemis' one and only true friend, wasn't he?"

"Well," said Apollo guiltily. "She loved him. Being a virgin goddess didn't mean she couldn't love a man, its just that she couldn't be in a physical relationship with him."

"But he tried to violate her, didn't he?" Thalia asked, her eyes flashing with anger. "So she killed him."

"Actually, no. I thought he violated her. So I killed him. I sent a giant scorpion after him whose armour he couldn't pierce. Artemis turned him into a constellation out of pity."

"Poor Lady Artemis..." Thalia muttered sympathetically.

"Its one of the reasons Artemis hates men so much. She was hurt. I know that every time she looks at the stars, she thinks of him." Apollo looked remorseful. "She was hurt because of me. I wish I hadn't been so impulsive..."

Thalia clutched Apollo's hand tighter. "You were just being a good brother."

Apollo half smiled.

"Anyway, because of that, she understands what you, what I am going through. I know it, Thalia. I love you. I can't deny it."

He looked at her intensely and she blushed.

"I love you too," she murmured.

Apollo looked satisfied. He continued.

"Artemis understands. Which is why you haven't lost your place in her Hunters. As long as you remain untouched by a man, you haven't broken your vow. So, its okay."

Thalia tried to take this in. Lady Artemis had fallen in love. That idea alone was extremely bizarre. Next, it was okay to love Apollo. As long as they didn't kiss or have any kind of physical relationship. And she could remain with her beloved sisters. It was all too good to be true.

"But we've already kissed, Apollo," said Thalia, quite unable to feel as upset as she should. The feelings had been amazing...

"It was my blessing," Apollo explained. "So Artemis excused it. But it was the first, only and last kiss you and I would ever share."

Thalia smirked, in spite of herself. "Kissing me was the only way to bless me, huh?"

Apollo shrugged. "The emotion should come from the heart and be expressed well. This worked best for me."

"Right," Thalia grinned.

Apollo smiled and turned to her. He dropped her hand and put it in her hair. His other arm wrapped around her waist. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Artemis also said I could have a last kiss," he said as he pulled away.

Thalia was feeling weak at the head spun.

"Okay," she replied, unsure as to whether Artemis would really be fine with it.

Apollo switched on some soft music and leaned back, relaxed.

"You fine?" he asked.

"Yeah."

And she was more than fine. Doing nothing but sitting next to the man she loved, knowing they had forever and that it didn't compromise her family made her feel happy and content.

It was better than she'd ever imagined.

* * *

><p>The automaton landed onto the top of the Empire State Building.<p>

"Thanks," said Percy to the eagle as they hopped off.

"We made it!" Nico exclaimed, hi-fiving Annabeth.

"Alive," she added, grinning.

"And check your drachma pockets!" a voice exclaimed. "All that griffin slaying has made you rich, huh?"

"I guess," Percy grinned. "Is Thalia okay?"

Hermes grinned back. "She's doing great. You can talk to her later. Right now, shower, eat and rest. You guys are a sight!"

"Mmm. Sounds good to me. Lets go!" said Nico enthusiastically.

Hermes snapped his fingers and the four of them disappeared into the majestic rooms at Mount Olympus.

* * *

><p>After the demigods had a nice, hot shower, stuffed their faces and crashed on the comfortable beds, everyone had gathered together again to read. Stories had been swapped and Thalia's constant complaint had been how she'd missed out on all the fun. Finally, all was fine, Ethan Nakamura was prisoner in Poseidon's palace and the planning was going well.<p>

"I'll read," Hestia volunteered.

"Go ahead," said Athena, passing her the book.

**"My cookies get scorched,"** Hestia began.

"Sounds good," Apollo muttered.

**I don't recommend shadow travel if you're scared of:**

"I can't believe you're scared of shadow travel!" Nico exclaimed.

"I haven't experienced it," Percy protested.

**a) The dark**

**b) Cold shivers up your spine**

**c) Strange noises**

**d) Going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off**

"Awesome!" Percy exclaimed.

"I know!" Nico replied enthusiastically.

**In other words, I thought it was awesome. **

**One minute I couldn't see anything. I could only feel Mrs. O'Leary's fur and my fingers wrapped around the bronze links of her dog collar.**

**The next minute the shadows melted into a new scene. We were on a cliff in the woods of Connecticut. At least, it looked like Connecticut from the few times I'd been there: lots of trees, low stone walls, big houses. Down one side of the cliff, a highway cut through a ravine. Down the other side was someone's backyard. The property was huge—more wilderness than lawn. The house was a two-story white Colonial. Despite the fact that it was right on the other side of the hill from a highway, it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. I could see a light glowing in the kitchen window. A rusty old swing set stood under an apple tree.**

Hermes stiffened. Memories were rushing back to him.

**I couldn't imagine living in a house like this, with an actual yard and everything. I'd lived in a tiny apartment or a school dorm my whole life. If this was Luke's home, I wondered why he'd ever wanted to leave. Mrs. O'Leary staggered. I remembered what Nico had said about shadow travel draining her, so I slipped off her back. She let out a huge toothy yawn that would've scared a T- Rex,**

There were chuckles all around at that.

**Then turned in a circle and flopped down so hard the ground shook.**

**Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm.**

**"I'm okay," he managed, rubbing his eyes.**

**"How did you do that?"**

**"Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."**

"How's China?" Thalia asked conversationally.

"Its fine," Nico muttered, embarrassed.

"Hey, Nico did pretty well for a first timer. Especially a first timer who didn't get training from me. I'm proud of you, son," Hades smiled.

Nico beamed happily.

**Mrs. O'Leary started snoring. If it hadn't been for the roar of traffic behind us, I'm sure she would've woken up the whole neighborhood.**

A few people chuckled.

**"Are you going to take a nap too?" I asked Nico.**

**He shook his head. "The first time I shadow traveled, I passed out for a week. Now it just makes me a little drowsy, but I can't do it more than once or twice a night. Mrs. O'Leary won't be going anywhere for a while."**

**"So we've got some quality time in Connecticut." I gazed at the white Colonial house. "What now?"**

**"We ring the doorbell," Nico said.**

**If I were Luke's mom, I would not have opened my door at night for two strange kids. But I wasn't _anything _like Luke's mom.**

"Duh," Hermes said, rolling his eyes.

**I knew that even before we reached the front door. The sidewalk was lined with those little stuffed beanbag animals you see in gift shops. There were miniature lions, pigs, dragons, hydras, even a teeny Minotaur in a little Minotaur diaper. Judging from their sad shape, the beanbag creatures had been sitting out here a long time—since the snow melted last spring at least. One of the hydras had a tree sapling sprouting between its necks.**

Hermes' eyes went wide. The house had looked so beautiful when he'd visited… but from Percy's description, it seemed to have fallen into complete despair.

**The front porch was infested with wind chimes. Shiny bits of glass and metal clinked in the breeze. Brass ribbons tinkled like water and made me realize I needed to use the bathroom. **

A few people chuckled at that.

**I didn't know how Ms. Castellan could stand all the noise.**

**The front door was painted turquoise. The name CASTELLAN was written in English, and below in Greek: Διοικητής φρουρίου.**

**Nico looked at me. "Ready?"**

**He'd barely tapped the door when it swung open.**

**"Luke!" the old lady cried happily.**

Hestia frowned. The woman had gone mad after losing her son. She glanced at Hermes. This would be a traumatizing chapter for him.

**She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets. **

"No she doesn't!" Hermes protested.

Percy was beginning to wish he didn't describe things the way he did.

**Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head. Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash. When she smiled, her face looked unnaturally stretched, and the high-voltage light in her eves made me wonder if she was blind.**

Hermes and Hades winced.

"She's not blind," Hermes muttered.

**"Oh, my dear boy!" She hugged Nico. I was trying to figure out why she thought Nico was Luke (they looked absolutely nothing alike), when she smiled at me and said, "Luke!"**

**She forgot all about Nico and gave me a hug. She smelled like burned cookies. She was as thin as a scarecrow, but that didn't stop her from almost crushing me.**

Apollo glanced worriedly at Hermes. He was already sinking into depression.

**"Come in!" she insisted. "I have your lunch ready!"**

**She ushered us inside. The living room was even weirder than the front lawn. Mirrors and candles filled every available space. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing my own reflection. Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock. I tried to imagine the god of messengers ever falling in love with this old woman, but the idea was too bizarre.**

"She wasn't like this before, Percy," Hermes growled. "Her condition is my fault."

**Then I noticed the framed picture on the mantel, and I froze. It was exactly like Rachel's sketch—Luke around nine years old, with blond hair and a big smile and two missing teeth. The lack of a scar on his face made him look like a different person—carefree and happy. How could Rachel have known about that picture?**

Annabeth and Thalia went back in their minds to the time when Luke looked like that wistfully. Those days had been the best of their lives.

Apollo frowned.

"How does she know?" he mused. "I really want to finish this book and fast."

**"This way, my dear!" Ms. Castellan steered me toward the back of the house. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!"**

**She sat us down at the kitchen table. Stacked on the counter were hundreds—I mean hundreds—of Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones on the bottom were green and fuzzy, like they'd been there for a long time. The smell reminded me of my sixth grade locker—and that's not a good thing.**

Despite the situation, Poseidon gave a small smile.

"I'm sure it isn't."

**On top of the oven was a stack of cookie sheets. Each one had a dozen burned cookies on it. In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. A beanbag Medusa sat by the faucet like she was guarding the mess.**

**Ms. Castellan started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly and started making a new sandwich. Something was burning in the oven. I got the feeling more cookies were on the way.**

Dionysus found himself feeling bad for the woman. She was positively mad, and incurably so. He would know, being and expert in madness.

**Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures cut from magazines and newspaper ads—pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.**

Hermes flinched. He'd done all this to May…

Apollo put a hand of Hermes' shoulder but he shrugged it off. Aphrodite found tears pooling into her eyes. The woman was crazy about Hermes.

**My heart sank. I wanted to get out of that room, but Ms. Castellan kept smiling at me as she made the sandwich, like she was making sure I didn't bolt.**

**Nico coughed. "Umm, Ms. Castellan?"**

**"Mm?"**

**"We need to ask you about your son."**

"Oh," said Hades. "I'd forgotten you were here for Luke."

**"Oh, yes! They told me he would never come back. But I knew better." She patted my cheek affectionately, giving me peanut butter racing stripes.**

**"When did you last see him?" Nico asked.**

**Her eyes lost focus.**

**"He was so young when he left," she said wistfully. "Third grade. That's too young to run away! He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool-Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon. . . ." Then she looked at me and smiled. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."**

Hermes' heart was sinking lower and lower. His poor May. He wished he could do something for her.

**She turned toward the pictures of Hermes above the sink. "Now, there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."**

"You do?" Hera asked him.

Hermes nodded and replied in a strained voice. "As much as I can."

**The clock kept ticking in the other room. I wiped the peanut butter off my face and looked at Nico pleadingly, like _Can we get out of here now?_**

Annabeth wanted to scold Percy for behaving like that, but she knew that she herself would've behaved like that.

**"Ma'am," Nico said. "What, uh . . . what happened to your eyes?"**

Hermes' muscles tightened. Athena noticed this.

"Do you want me to give a summary of the chapter and skip this part?" she asked quietly.

"No," Hermes replied in a strangled voice. "Lets just finish it off. But thank you."

**Her gaze seemed fractured—like she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope. "Why, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasn't it? I'd always been special, able to see through the . . . whatever-they-call-it."**

**"The Mist?" I said.**

**"Yes, dear." She nodded encouragingly. "And they offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"**

"Oh!" Annabeth exclaimed, having realized. "Oh no…"

**I glanced at Nico, but he looked as confused as I was.**

**"What sort of job?" I asked. "What happened?"**

**Ms. Castellan frowned. Her knife hovered over the sandwich bread. "Dear me, it didn't work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny! And now . . . I still can't get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookies?"**

**She pulled a tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen lumps of chocolate chip charcoal on the table.**

**"Luke was so kind," Ms. Castellan murmured. "He left to protect me, you know.**

"Did he?" Percy murmured to himself quietly.

**He said if he went away, the monsters wouldn't threaten me. But I told him the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in." She picked up the little stuffed Medusa from the windowsill. "Do they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all." She beamed at me. "I'm so glad you came home. I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"**

**I shifted in my seat. I imagined being Luke sitting at this table, eight or nine years old, and just beginning to realize that my mother wasn't all there.**

Percy realized he was lucky his mom was okay. That she was always there for him, there to love him even when the world turned its back on him. And so did Poseidon, had Sally been in this situation, he couldn't have lived with himself. And there were chances of her being in that position.

**"Ms. Castellan," I said.**

**"Mom," she corrected.**

**"Um, yeah. Have you seen Luke since he left home?"**

**"Well, of course!"**

**I didn't know if she was imagining that or not. For all I knew, every time the mailman came to the door he was Luke. But Nico sat forward expectantly.**

**"When?" he asked. "When did Luke visit you last?"**

**"Well, it was . . . Oh goodness . . ." A shadow passed across her face. "The last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar, and his voice so full of pain . . ."**

"Would this be after he, umm, got taken over by Kronos?" asked Percy, choosing his words carefully.

**"His eyes," I said. "Were they gold?"**

**"Gold?" She blinked. "No. How silly. Luke has blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!"**

"Okay. I got my answer."

**So Luke really had been here, and this had happened before last summer—before he'd turned into Kronos.**

**"Ms. Castellan?" Nico put his hand on the old woman's arm. "This is very important. Did he ask you for anything?"**

**She frowned as if trying to remember. "My — my blessing. Isn't that sweet?" She looked at us uncertainly. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did." **

Artemis' eyes widened. "So he was going to dip in the river Styx!"

**Nico looked at me triumphantly. "Thank you, ma'am. That's all the information we—"**

**Ms. Castellan gasped. She doubled over, and her cookie tray clattered to the floor. Nico and I jumped to our feet.**

"What?" asked Ares, who had previously been bored with all the drama. This was slightly more entertaining.

**"Ms. Castellan?" I said.**

**_"AHHHH," _****She straightened. I scrambled away and almost fell over the kitchen table, because her eyes—her eyes were glowing green.**

"Like the oracle's," Apollo muttered to himself.

**_"My child," _****she rasped in a much deeper voice. _"Must protect him! Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate_—_no!"_**

Hermes lost control over himself then. He put his head on the table and his shoulder began to shake with his sobs. The demigods looked away, uncomfortable at how the usually cheerful and fun loving god had become a broken man.

**She grabbed Nico by the shoulders and began to shake him as if to make him understand. _"Not his fate!"_**

Nico and Percy looked a little freaked out. This experience would have been _scary._

**Nico made a strangled scream and pushed her away. He gripped the hilt of his sword. "Percy, we need to get out—"**

**Suddenly Ms. Castellan collapsed. I lurched forward and caught her before she could hit the edge of the table. **

"Thanks," Hermes muttered.

**I managed to get her into a chair.**

**"Ms. C?" I asked.**

**She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head. "Goodness. I . . . I dropped the cookies. How silly of me."**

**She blinked, and her eyes were back to normal—or at least, what they had been before. The green glow was gone.**

Hades looked extremely guilty. He turned his face away. No one but Athena noticed. She wasn't sure whether to feel sympathetic or angry towards him. She alone knew the whole story.

**"Are you okay?" I asked.**

**"Well, of course, dear. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"**

**I glanced at Nico, who mouthed the word _Leave._**

**"Ms. C, you were telling us something," I said. "Something about your son."**

"And you brought it up why?" asked Nico angrily. He wanted to get out of that house!

**"Was I?" she said dreamily. "Yes, his blue eyes. We were talking about his blue eyes. Such a handsome boy!"**

**"We have to go," Nico said urgently. "We'll tell Luke . . . uh, we'll tell him you said hello."**

**"But you can't leave!" Ms. Castellan got shakily to her feet, and I backed away. I felt silly being scared of a frail old woman, but the way her voice had changed, the way she'd grabbed Nico . . .**

Hermes urged himself to not do anything violent to anyone. It wasn't their fault.

**"Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"**

But he did punch the table. He wished he could do something for May…

**"Maybe next time," I said. "Thank you for—" I looked down at the burned cookies scattered on the floor. "Thanks for everything."**

**She tried to stop us, to offer us Kool-Aid, but I had to get out of that house. On the front porch, she grabbed my wrist and I almost jumped out of my skin. "Luke, at least be safe. Promise me you'll be safe."**

**"I will . . . Mom."**

Hera smiled.

"That was sweet of you, Percy."

"Thanks."

**That made her smile. She released my wrist, and as she closed the front door I could hear her talking to the candles: "You hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!"**

"Talking to candles?" Dionysus blurted out. That really made Hermes lose his cool. He sprang onto the pudgy wine god and punched him, giving him a brown eye. Since gods had ichor, which was golden blood, their bruises were brown rather than purple or black.

"Hermes, don't!" Zeus commanded as Ares and Hephaestus pulled the enraged god off Dionysus.

"I'm sorry," Dionysus muttered. "I didn't mean to say that."

Hermes just glared at him and spat at his feet.

"Hermes!" Hera reprimanded. "Don't be uncivilized! What example are you setting for the kids?"

The demigods shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Hermes glanced at their discomfited expressions and slowly sat back down in his throne.

Hestia continued reading.

**As the door shut, Nico and I ran. The little beanbag animals on the sidewalk seemed to grin at us as we passed.**

**Back at the cliff, Mrs. O'Leary had found a friend.**

**A cozy campfire crackled in a ring of stones. A girl about eight years old was sitting cross-legged next to Mrs. O'Leary, scratching the hellhound's ears. The girl had mousy brown hair and a simple brown dress. **

"Its me," Hestia realized happily.

**She wore a scarf over her head so she looked like a pioneer kid—like the ghost of _Little House on the Prairie _or something. **

"Hmph," she said, insulted.

A few gods chuckled.

"Sorry, Lady Hestia," said Percy warily. He needed to think of better ways to describe gods. Or people. And he needed to keep his thoughts in check. Big time.

**She poked the fire with a stick, and it seemed to glow more richly red than a normal fire.**

"Obviously," said Artemis rolling her eyes.

**"Hello," she said.**

**My first thought was: monster. **

"Hey!" Hestia exclaimed indignantly, her eyes flaring.

"Sorry?" Percy winced.

The goddess huffed and continued reading.

**When you're a demigod and you find a sweet little girl alone in the woods—that's typically a good time to draw your sword and attack. Plus, the encounter with Ms. Castellan had rattled me pretty bad.**

"Okay, I forgive you."

**But Nico bowed to the little girl. "Hello again, Lady."**

Hestia smiled warmly at Nico.

"At least someone recognizes me!"

**She studied me with eyes as red as the firelight. I decided it was safest to bow.**

"That's intelligent," said Athena rolling her eyes.

**"Sit, Percy Jackson," she said. "Would you like some dinner?**

"I do!" Apollo exclaimed. "Your food is the best, Aunt Hestia!"

**After staring at moldy peanut butter sandwiches and burned cookies, I didn't have much of an appetite, but the girl waved her hand and a picnic appeared at the edge of the fire. There were plates of roast beef, baked potatoes, buttered carrots, fresh bread, and a whole bunch of other foods I hadn't had in a long time. **

Everyone sniffed appreciatively, already able to imagine the delicious aroma of the food.

**My stomach started to rumble. It was the kind of home-cooked meal people are supposed to have but never do. **

"Which they really should," Demeter announced. Hestia nodded her agreement.

**The girl made a five-foot-long dog biscuit appear for Mrs. O'Leary, who happily began tearing it to shreds. I sat next to Nico. We picked up our food, and I was about to dig in when I thought better of it. I scraped part of my meal into the flames, the way we do at camp. **

**"For the gods," I said.**

Poseidon smiled at Percy approvingly.

"That's thoughtful."

**The little girl smiled. "Thank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know."**

**"I recognize you now," I said. "The first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area."**

"I always am," said Hestia, her voice getting louder with emotion. "And does anyone stop to talk to me? No! Of course they don't. Just because I'm not a major god anymore."

Poseidon put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, you are now," he pointed out. Hestia smiled at that and touched her throne affectionately.

**"You did not stop to talk," the girl recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nico talked to me. He was the first in many years. Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family."**

"We should change that for the minor gods too," said Hestia. Hades nodded.

"We'll see, " Zeus grumbled.

**"You're Hestia," I said. "Goddess of the Hearth."**

"Finally the Seaweed Brain realizes," said Ares rolling his eyes.

Aphrodite giggled. It was so unlike Ares to say something like that.

**She nodded.**

**Okay . . . so she looked eight years old. **

"Everyone likes looking younger," Aphrodite explained. "The younger you are, the more supple your skin is."

Everyone rolled their eyes at that.

"Hestia did that to relate to young maidens, Aphrodite. Not to attract _boys_."

"Actually, my reason was that the younger you are, the more innocence is left in you…"

**I didn't ask. I'd learned that gods could look any way they pleased.**

**"My lady," Nico asked, "Why aren't you with the other Olympians, fighting Typhon?"**

"Oh," said Hephaestus. "We won't have Hestia on our side either. A pity. The things she can do with fire are pretty amazing."

"Totally!" Apollo agreed. Aunt Hestia was his favourite.

Hestia smiled. "I'll see…"

**"I'm not much for fighting." Her red eyes flickered. I realized they weren't just reflecting the flames. They were filled with flames—but not like Ares's eyes. Hestia's eyes were warm and cozy.**

Ares scoffed. _Warm and cozy._ His eyes were much cooler. Arrogant, annoying and war enthusing. Now that was what _he _liked.

**"Besides," she said, "someone has to keep the home fires burning while the other gods are away."**

**"So you're guarding Mount Olympus?" I asked.**

**"'Guard' may be too strong a word. But if you ever need a warm place to sit and a home-cooked meal, you are welcome to visit. Now eat."**

"Aunt Hestia, please," Apollo moaned. "I'm starving."

Hermes managed to smile slightly.

"I'm with Apollo."

"You rock!"

"Yeah."

Hestia smiled and shook her head. She snapped her fingers and a whole buffet of home cooked foods appeared on the table.

Apollo hugged Hestia rashly, almost knocking her off her throne.

"Whoa!" Hestia exclaimed, grabbing the side of her throne.

Apollo grinned.

"Sorry."

**My plate was empty before I knew it. Nico scarfed his down just as fast.**

**"That was great," I said. "Thank you, Hestia."**

**She nodded. "Did you have a good visit with May Castellan?"**

"I wish," Percy muttered to Annabeth. "Even the reading experience was frightening."

"The good part is that you won't have to go through it because we've read this," Annabeth pointed out.

**For a moment I'd almost forgotten the old lady with her bright eyes and her maniacal smile, the way she'd suddenly seemed possessed.**

Hermes glared murderously at Percy for thinking that unflattering statement. Sure, he'd been scared, but it didn't mean his thoughts had to be so _nasty._

**"What's wrong with her, exactly?" I asked.**

**"She was born with a gift," Hestia said. "She could see through the Mist."**

**"Like my mother," I said. **

Poseidon shuddered. He was glad Sally wasn't in this situation. He would hate to see her like this.

**And I was also thinking, _Like Rachel _"But the glowing eyes thing—"**

**"Some bear the curse of sight better than others," the goddess said sadly. "For a while, May Castellan had many talents. She attracted the attention of Hermes himself. They had a beautiful baby boy. For a brief time, she was happy. And then she went too far."**

"What did she do?" Nico wondered out loud.

Hades shifted a little uncomfortable and Hermes tightened.

"You'll find out."

**I remembered what Ms. Castellan had said: _They offered me an important job . . . It didn't work out. _I wondered what kind of job left you like that.**

**"One minute she was all happy," I said. "And then she was freaking out about her son's fate, like she knew he'd turned into Kronos. What happened to . . . to divide her like that?"**

**The goddess's face darkened. "That is a story I do not like to tell. But May Castellan saw too much. If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family."**

**I thought about the sad little pictures of Hermes taped above May Castellan's sink. I wondered if Ms. Castellan had been so crazy when Luke was little. That green-eyed fit could've seriously scared a nine-year-old kid. And if Hermes never visited, if he'd left Luke alone with his mom all those years . . .**

**"No wonder Luke ran away," I said. "I mean, it wasn't right to leave his mom like that, but still—he was just a kid. Hermes shouldn't have abandoned them."**

"For fuck's sake, I did NOT abandon my family!" Hermes shouted, standing up. He walked over to Percy, pulled him out and grabbed his shoulders. "You don't know what its like to be a god, to have all those duties, all those multiple personalities falling in love with people. You think we just go around having kids shamelessly but it isn't like that! We really don't have control over it! We're like multiple people in one body, every person falling in love with someone or the other. And we can't visit each and every one of them! We can't sneak to everyone! We have bloody _rules _that bind us! Duties! Being a god doesn't mean you sit around and relax. It's a huge responsibility! You're taking care of the world. And I _loved _Luke. I loved May! I still love them! I still love Luke even though he's been taken over by my psychopathic grandfather! I don't care! I tried to go to them. I didn't abandon them. I visited as much as I could. I did what was right for the world. Do you get it?"

Percy nodded, shaken up badly, figuratively and literally.

"I did not abandon my family…" Hermes choked out.

He let go of Percy and the boy tumbled to the ground. Hermes stumbled back to his throne and sank into it.

"I think we should take a break for a while," said Hera softly.

"No," said Hermes curtly. "Finish the damn chapter already."

Hestia complied.

**Hestia scratched behind Mrs. O'Leary's ears. The hellhound wagged her tail and accidentally knocked over a tree.**

**"It's easy to judge others," Hestia warned. "But will you follow Luke's path? Seek the same powers?"**

"We don't have another option," Ares pointed out.

**Nico set down his plate. "We have no choice, my lady. It's the only way Percy stands a chance."**

"Shit. I'm agreeing with Corpse Breath's son."

**"Mmm." Hestia opened her hand and the fire roared. Flames shot thirty feet into the air. Heat slapped me in the face. Then the fire died back down to normal.**

Hestia smiled while the gods smirked.

**"Not all powers are spectacular." Hestia looked at me. **

"Yeah, but that was really cool," Apollo grinned.

**"Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. Do you believe me?"**

**"Uh-huh," I said. Anything to keep her from messing with her flame powers again.**

Everyone but Percy snickered.

"I respect Lady Hestia a lot more now," Nico whispered to Percy.

**The goddess smiled. "You are a good hero, Percy Jackson. Not too proud. I like that. But you have much to learn. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave up my throne for him. It was the only way to avoid a civil war among the gods."**

"We all make mistakes," Apollo said sagely, shaking his head. Dionysus glared at him.

**"It unbalanced the Council," I remembered. "Suddenly there were seven guys and five girls."**

Hera rolled her eyes. "You're referring to gods as _guys and girls?_"

"Uhh..."

**Hestia shrugged. "It was the best solution, not a perfect one. Now I tend the fire. I fade slowly into the background. No one will ever write epic poems about the deeds of Hestia. Most demigods don't even stop to talk to me. But that is no matter. I keep the peace. I yield when necessary. Can you do this?"**

Percy looked a little puzzled. He didn't exactly understand.

**"I don't know what you mean."**

**She studied me. "Perhaps not yet. But soon. Will you continue your quest?"**

**"Is that why you're here—to warn me against going?"**

"Are you?" Hermes asked curiously.

Hestia shrugged.

**Hestia shook her head. "I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the Last Olympian. **

"Ah," said Zeus. "That's where the title of the book comes from."

"Dramatic line," Dionysus muttered.

**You must remember me when you face your final decision.**

Poseidon's brow furrowed. _Final _decision?

**I didn't like the way she said _final._**

**I looked at Nico, then back at Hestia's warm glowing eyes. "I have to continue, my lady. I have to stop Luke . . . I mean Kronos."**

**Hestia nodded. "Very well. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I have already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus."**

**Her tone was ominous, as though our next meeting would not be happy.**

"Doesn't sound good to me," Percy muttered. **  
><strong>

**The goddess waved her hand, and everything faded.**

**Suddenly I was home. **

"Oh," said Annabeth. "Your own hearth. Your home. I forgot. It feels like Camp is home for all of us. How silly of me."

Athena glanced at Annabeth to make sure if she was okay. She seemed a little hurt about having to live at Camp all year.**  
><strong>

**Nico and I were sitting on the couch in my mom's apartment on the Upper East Side. That was the good news. **

"There's a bad news?" asked Poseidon.**  
><strong>

**The bad news was that the rest of the living room was occupied by Mrs. O'Leary.**

He chuckled at that. **  
><strong>

**I heard a muffled yell from the bedroom. Paul's voice said, "Who put this wall of fur in the doorway?"**

And then his muscles hardened. _Paul._

Aphrodite noticed this and giggled. This would be interesting..._  
><em>

**"Percy?" my mom called out. "Are you here? Are you all right?"**

**"I'm here!" I shouted back.**

**_"WOOF!" _****Mrs. O'Leary tried to turn in a circle to find my mom, knocking all the pictures off the walls. She's only met my mom once before (long story), but she loves her.**

"Anyone would," Poseidon smiled.

"Totally true," Annabeth agreed. Hermes rolled his eyes.

"That's because you, Poseidon, are in love with her and she's your mother-in-law, Annabeth. So duh, you'd both say that."

Percy reddened. "Hey! We aren't married or anything. Just dating."

"Yeah... though the wedding bells aren't far from ringing," Hermes smirked.

"And then in no time we'll meet Mr. and Mrs. Jackson's newborn baby..." Apollo snickered.

Percy and Annabeth blushed hard.

"Enough," Athena commanded. Hermes and Apollo immediately shut up and Hestia continued, smiling and shaking her head at her nephews' antics. **  
><strong>

**It took a few minutes, but we finally got things worked out. After destroying most of the furniture in the living room and probably making our neighbors really mad, we got my parents out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where we sat around the kitchen table. Mrs. O'Leary still took up the entire living room, but she'd settled her head in the kitchen doorway so she could see us, which made her happy. My mom tossed her a ten-pound family-size tube of ground beef, which disappeared down her gullet. **

Hades sighed. "Hellhounds are so high maintenance."**  
><strong>

**Paul poured lemonade for the rest of us while I explained about our visit to Connecticut.**

**"So it's true." Paul stared at me like he'd never seen me before. He was wearing his white bathrobe, now covered in hellhound fur, and his salt-and-pepper hair was sticking up in every direction. "All the talk about monsters, and being a demigod . . . it's really true."**

"No genius, I'd never been born," said Poseidon sarcastically. **  
><strong>

**I nodded. Last fall I'd explained to Paul who I was. My mom had backed me up. But until this moment, I don't think he really believed us.**

**"Sorry about Mrs. O'Leary," I said, "destroying the living room and all."**

**Paul laughed like he was delighted. "Are you kidding? This is awesome! I mean, when I saw the hoof prints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!"**

Zeus glanced at Poseidon slyly. "He sounds good to me."

"Ditto," Hades grinned, enjoying rubbing their brother the wrong way.

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Sally Jackson would soon become, Sally Blofis, mother -"

"No way!" Poseidon burst out, causing the offenders to laugh at his distraught expression.

"Relax dad..." said Percy, hiding a smile. It was good to know his father loved his mother so much.

**He patted Mrs. O'Leary's snout. The living room shook—_BOOM, BOOM, BOOM_—which either meant a SWAT team was breaking down the door or Mrs. O'Leary was wagging her tail.**

Everyone laughed.

"You say the randomest things in the world, Seaweed Brain."

"Thanks, Pinecone Face."**  
><strong>

**I couldn't help but smile. Paul was a pretty cool guy, even if he was my English teacher as well as my stepdad.**

"Oh, right. She already _is _," said Aphrodite, disappointed. It would've been _so _cute if Poseidon would've married Sally instead of Amphitrite and turned her into a goddess. Aphrodite didn't like Amphitrite much, and besides, Poseidon had never really loved Amphitrite. They were forced to marry. And even though she'd been forced to marry Hephaestus, she loved him, and deep down, she knew she always had. In Poseidon's case, it was not so.**  
><strong>

**"Thanks for not freaking out," I said.**

**"Oh, I'm freaking out," he promised, his eyes wide. "I just think it's awesome!"**

"So awesome to have the world destroyed by Typhon and taken over by Kronos," Artemis muttered. **  
><strong>

**"Yeah, well," I said, "You may not be so excited when you hear what's happening."**

**I told Paul and my mom about Typhon, and the gods, and the battle that was sure to come. Then I told them Nico's plan.**

**My mom laced her fingers around her lemonade glass. She was wearing her old blue flannel bathrobe, and her hair was tied back. Recently she'd started writing a novel, like she'd wanted to do for years, and I could tell she'd been working on it late into the night, because the circles under her eyes were darker than usual.**

Athena smiled. "I hope her novel sells well. She is an unusually intelligent woman, considering Poseidon loved her."

"I have good taste," said Poseidon crossly. **  
><strong>

**Behind her at the kitchen window, silvery moon lace glowed in the flower box. I'd brought the magical plant back from Calypso's island last summer. **

Annabeth frowned. "Calypso's island?"

"Uhh... can we talk about it later, Annabeth?" Percy asked nervously.

"No way! Are you secretly in love with her?" Annabeth screamed.

"No! No way!"

"Then tell me what happened," Annabeth demanded. "NOW!"

"Annabeth, its a long story... can we talk about it later?" Percy pleaded.

"So you ARE cheating on me!" Annabeth accused, tears streaming down. "You need the time to think up a lie, huh?"

"Annabeth, no! Don't be stupid! Ow!"

Annabeth slapped him hard, breathing deeply.

"Do not lie to me, Perseus Jackson. I hate you!"

"Annabeth!"

Percy grabbed her arm and Annabeth tried to swat his hand away. He spun her around, grabbed her face and kissed her.

"For gods' sake, calm down, will you?" Percy exclaimed, pulling away. "When Mount blew up, I somehow landed on Ogygia. Calypso took care of me and... to cut a really long story short, I thought I loved her. I seriously considered staying with her... forgetting all about our troubles. But then I didn't. I had to get back to my friends. I thought she'd always be my biggest _what if_. But then... I realized I love you and I was dreading this conversation because I thought you'd get mad so I never told you... I'm sorry, Annabeth, I -"

Annabeth smiled slightly. "I'm a _vlacas_. I did exactly what you didn't want me to do, didn't I? But don't hide anything from me, Seaweed Brain... I won't blow up."

"She's just saying it. She'll erupt like a volcano," Nico whispered to Thalia.

"I heard that."

"I'm continuing."

**and it bloomed like crazy under my mother's care. The scent always calmed me down, but it also made me sad because it reminded me of lost friends.**

**My mom took a deep breath, like she was thinking how to tell me no.**

"Poor woman..." Hera murmured sympathetically. **  
><strong>

**"Percy, it's dangerous," she said. "Even for you."**

"Even for you," Ares snorted.**  
><strong>

**"Mom, I know. I could die. **

"A great way to comfort your mother," said Artemis sarcastically. "I'm sure that makes her feel so much less scared about letting you dip in the Styx."

**Nico explained that. But if we don't try—"**

**"We'll all die," Nico said. **

Artemis huffed, annoyed. "Boys are dumb."**  
><strong>

**He hadn't touched his lemonade. "Ms. Jackson, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there _will _be an invasion."**

**"An invasion of New York?" Paul said. "Is that even possible? **

"Yeah, it is," said Poseidon scornfully. **  
><strong>

**How could we not see the . . . the monsters?"**

"Mortals don't have much imagination," said Ares disdainfully.

"Nor do you," Hephaestus muttered under his breath. Aphrodite giggled.**  
><strong>

**He said the word _monsters_ like he still couldn't believe this was real.**

**"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't see how Kronos could just march into Manhattan, but the Mist is strong. Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think he's a storm system."**

"Hecate's idea was pretty good," Athena admitted.**  
><strong>

**"Ms. Jackson," Nico said, "Percy needs your blessing. The process _has _to start that way. I wasn't sure until we met Luke's mom, but now I'm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk."**

"No mother would willingly bless this," said Hera sadly. "It would hurt too much."**  
><strong>

**"You want me to bless this?" She shook her head. "It's crazy. Percy, please—"**

**"Mom, I can't do it without you."**

**"And if you survive this . . . this _process?"_**

**"Then I go to war," I said. "Me against Kronos. And only one of us will survive."**

"Percy!" Hera burst out, exasperated. "You can be a little nicer about the way you put it to your Mother! You don't need to hurt her so much!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just impulsive," said Percy, feeling bad now that everyone was pointing it out. **  
><strong>

**I didn't tell her the whole prophecy—about the soul reaping and the end of my days. She didn't need to know that I was probably doomed. I could only hope I'd stop Kronos and save the rest of the world before I died.**

Everyone grimaced. Percy wasn't exactly the most optimistic person in the world. **  
><strong>

**"You're my son," she said miserably. "I can't just . . ."**

**I could tell I'd have to push her harder if I wanted her to agree, but I didn't want to. I remembered poor Ms. Castellan in her kitchen, waiting for her son to come home. And I realized how lucky I was. My mom had always been there for me, always tried to make things normal for me, even with the gods and monsters and stuff. She put up with me going off on adventures, but now I was asking her blessing to do something that would probably get me killed.**

Percy unexpectedly felt his eyes water. He really was very lucky.**  
><strong>

**I locked eyes with Paul, and some kind of understanding passed between us.**

**"Sally." He put his hand over my mother's hands. "I can't claim to know what you and Percy have been going through all these years. But it sounds to me . . . it sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage."**

Poseidon groaned. "He does deserve Sally!"

"At least she's happy," Aphrodite pointed out.

"Yeah..."**  
><strong>

**I got a lump in my throat. I didn't get compliments like that too much.**

"That's so that your head doesn't swell up," said Thalia.

"Aww... pool Pelcy ish all sentimental..." said Apollo in a rubbish baby talk.

"Shut up."

**My mom stared at her lemonade. She looked like she was trying not to cry. I thought about what Hestia had said, about how hard it was to yield, and I figured maybe my mom was finding that out.**

"She probably was," said Hestia.**  
><strong>

**"Percy," she said, "I give you my blessing."**

A few people gasped.

"She's a brave person," said Demeter admiringly.

**I didn't feel any different. No magic glow lit the kitchen or anything.**

"It doesn't happen that way," said Hades. **  
><strong>

**I glanced at Nico.**

**He looked more anxious than ever, but he nodded. "It's time."**

Percy inhaled sharply. He was going to take a dip in the Styx now. He wanted to know what the experience would be like. Annabeth laced her fingers with his.**  
><strong>

**"Percy," my mom said. "One last thing. If you . . . if you survive this fight with Kronos, send me a sign." She rummaged through her purse and handed me her cell phone.**

**"Mom," I said, "you know demigods and phones—"**

"Are like sending out a signal - Please come and rearrange my face!" Apollo chuckled.**  
><strong>

**"I know," she said. "But just in case. If you're not able to call . . . maybe a sign that I could see from anywhere in Manhattan. To let me know you're okay."**

**"Like Theseus," Paul suggested. "He was supposed to raise white sails when he came home to Athens."**

"Theseus was stupid," Persephone muttered. "He should've remembered.**  
><strong>

**"Except he forgot," Nico muttered. "And his father jumped off the palace roof in despair. But other than that, it was a great idea."**

**"What about a flag or a flare?" my mom said. "From Olympus—the Empire State Building."**

**"Something blue," I said.**

"Blue?" asked Thalia curiously. **  
><strong>

**We'd had a running joke for years about blue food. It was my favorite color, and my mom went out of her way to humor me. Every year my birthday cake, my Easter basket, my Christmas candy canes always had to be blue.**

"Your mother is cool," Nico grinned.

"Sure she is," Percy smiled.**  
><strong>

**"Yes," my mom agreed. "I'll watch for a blue signal. And I'll try to avoid jumping off palace roofs."**

"You better not forget, Percy," Poseidon warned him.

"Of course I won't, dad!" Percy looked shocked.

"Good."

**She gave me one last hug. I tried not to feel like I was saying good-bye. I shook hands with Paul. Then Nico and I walked to the kitchen doorway and looked at Mrs. O'Leary.**

**"Sorry, girl," I said. "Shadow travel time again."**

**She whimpered and crossed her paws over her snout.**

"Poor dog," said Persephone fondly. She wouldn't admit it to Hades but she loved hellhounds. **  
><strong>

**"Where now?" I asked Nico. "Los Angeles?" **

**"No need," he said. "There's a closer entrance to the Underworld."**

"The chapter ends here," Hestia announced.

"Well, we're making progress," said Athena. "But I still want the demigods to rest. Right now, I need Ares. I want to finalize our plans with him. Then we need to visit Camp Half Blood and orient them about everything."

"All right," said Zeus. "For now, everybody chill."

And the book reading session adjourned.

* * *

><p><strong>Done! Yes! So happy.<strong>

**Anyway, about the forum... you can check out the link and introduction on my profile. Imagine living in the world of Percy Jackson, doing whatever you like. Sounds good? Its the place for you. We're currently #8 in all 206 Percy Jackson forums! Its NOT a roleplay thing though.**

**Until next time!**

**I Tripped Over Reality  
><strong>


	10. My math teacher gives me a lift

**Hey guys!**

**Okay, its been really long since I updated... Exams and stuff.**

**I have a lot to be sorry for. One of that is being late for updating. The next is not thanking people for all the reviews and all, believe me when I say school leaves you with no time... but I am REALLY grateful for them, they're what keeps me going! So please keep reviewing and adding this to your Story alerts and favourites because if I didn't have those, frankly, I'd have no motivation at all to write.  
><strong>

**And the third thing to apolagize about...  
><strong>

**I have a bit of disappointing news *****winces* **** My exams started on 3****rd**** September and go on for three weeks, so naturally I can't update during that time. The next chapter will probably take quite some time… I'll try writing it in the course of the exams, but I don't think I'll be done. Lets see. Sorry again!**

**Note: When there's the Athena and Ares bit, on the list, **_**italics **_**mean something that's been completed and normal writing is something that's still left. You'll see. **

* * *

><p>Hermes walked out of the meeting just as Zeus told everyone to chill and into his room. It was much like Apollo's, except it was docked with loads of gadgets and gizmos. He lay down on his bed and picked up his iTouch from the side table. He didn't pop the earphones in. Instead, he clicked on the yellow flower icon and opened the Photos. He touched a folder that said 'May and me.'<p>

Three guesses as to what that folder contained.

Hermes started a slideshow and images slapped him in the face.

There he was, with May…

Her eyes were perfectly fine.

She was young and beautiful.

But above all, she was happy.

A picture; They were surrounded by greenery. Hermes had his arms around May's waist from behind and her smile was brighter than the sun. Next; They stood behind a waterfall, arms wound tightly around each other, kissing passionately. Next; They were jogging on the beach with the sun setting behind them, turning the sea a beautiful blood red. Next; They lay sleeping on the bed, May tucked away comfortably under Hermes' arm. Next; Hermes standing at the door of the Castellan residence with his arm around May. And in May's arms was a beautiful baby with bright blue eyes.

Hermes kept staring at all these memories. His heart broke every time he saw a picture, yet he couldn't turn away. The same memories that made him hurt also made him smile. He couldn't get rid of them.

He was so absorbed in the iTouch that he didn't notice the door to his room open softly. A dazzling young god walked in and sat next to him.

"Sup," he said, glancing over his brother's shoulder to see what was up. Hermes barely looked up.

"Apollo."

Apollo gently yanked the iTouch away. "Don't. You're just hurting yourself."

He put it into his pocket. Hermes stared stoically at the ground. Apollo put a hand on his brother's shoulder. He wasn't good at comforting. However, he sure knew how to cheer his brother up. He grinned.

"I think its time we made uglyface . com."

* * *

><p>Athena and Ares sat around a small glass table, staring at a paper with Athena's neat, elegant script on it. It was the list of things that they needed to do.<p>

_(1) We wont let Beckendorf die. Need to try finding a strategy to blow up the __Princess Andromeda __without the demigods being hurt. Or instead, find an alternative to that._

(2) Poseidon's battle isn't going well. We need him to defeat Typhon, who has been unleashed. Find a way to help Poseidon win the battle.

(3) The book says that the gods are busy fighting Typhon and Olympus is undefended but for the demigods. Need to make a foolproof plan for them. _Recruit_ and train more demigods.

(4) Refresh all of our memories about the most ancient monsters and inform the demigods about them

(5) Get the Oracle to change bodies.

_(6) Interpret the Prophecy_

(7) Save Percy. Well, he doesn't die but we need to take precautions.

(8) Aphrodite needs to give the kids a lecture on sensitivity

(9) Make uglyface . com

(10) Make a battle strategy for defeating Typhon

_(11) Check if this is a book for mortals, like fiction_

(12) Convince the Spy to stop helping Kronos and turn her or him to our side.

(13) Solve the chariot problem for the Ares and Apollo cabins

(14) Respecting the minor gods

_(15) Stop Nakamura from ratting Prometheus out to Kronos_

"That list is huge," Ares grumbled.

"I know," Athena replied. "But the 1st, 6th, 11th and 15th points have already been taken care of. The 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 14th points don't have to do with you, just me and some other people. All I need you for is the battle strategies."

"Wouldn't it have been faster to say you need me for the 2nd, 3rd and 10th jobs?" Ares pointed out.

Athena ignored him. "Whatever. Now lets get to work."

* * *

><p>"Apollo, I don't really feel like it…" Hermes began.<p>

"Shut up! Of course you feel like it! You just don't know!" Apollo argued.

"Apollo, please…"

"You just hate me so much. You just like seeing me sad," said Apollo, pretending to be hurt. Had Hermes not been with him for so many aeons, he would have fallen for it.

"Come on, Apollo. I'm not in the mood."

His annoying brother pouted. Hermes saw what was coming. "Apollo, I swear I'll kill you if –"

But alas, it was too late. Apollo had already changed into a 7 year old. The cutest seven year old imaginable. His blonde fringes framed his innocent large blue eyes. His cheeks were soft and chubby, and when he spoke, you knew you couldn't resist him. It was one of Hermes' biggest weaknesses. He always had to give in when Apollo did that.

"Helmes, will you pleash make uglyface dot com with me?" Apollo begged, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Hermes groaned.

"I hate you, Apollo! Do you think I have a choice?"

Apollo laughed and changed back into himself, a seventeen year old tall, lean kid. In appearance. He picked up one of Hermes' laptops and made himself comfortable on the bed.

"Shoes off, Apollo!" Hermes yelled. "I don't want your dirty converse where I sleep."

An arm reached out and smacked the back of Hermes' head.

"Stop being such a neat freak and check this out."

* * *

><p>"Okay, so we've gotten demigods to the Camp," Athena began. "But training them… hmm. That's going to be a challenge. The war isn't far anymore."<p>

"It wouldn't be so hard if my kids trained them," Ares replied.

Athena looked at him skeptically. "Oh yeah? And your kids wouldn't pulverize them or lose their cool if some of the kids weren't doing as well as expected? And what if someone gets scared and buckles under pressure? Will your children be able to handle that?"

Ares glared at her. "But they're the best trainers and you know it."

Athena sighed. She wondered how she could get anywhere with this god. She impatiently pushed her hair back behind her ear. "That's true. Can you talk to them along with Aphrodite and convince them to be nice to the newcomers?"

Ares grunted, not meeting her eyes. "Aphrodite wouldn't work with me."

Athena's expression softened a little. Hurt was evident in Ares' features. He didn't let it on, but breaking up with Aphrodite actually hadn't been easy on him.

"What makes you think that?" asked Athena.

Ares shrugged nonchalantly. "She hates me."

"Does she?" Athena contradicted. "How do you know?"

Ares laughed bleakly. "Her eyes are just for my idiot of a crippled brother. She doesn't even like, say hi to me."

Athena bit back a smile. 'She doesn't even like, say hi to me.' That, coming from the mouth of the god of war was pretty amusing. "That doesn't necessarily mean she won't work with you. C'mon, don't be stupid."

"Fine," Ares muttered. "Next?"

"Poseidon's battle," Athena replied.

Ares shrugged. "Not that hard. Oceanus isn't stronger than Barnacle Beard. Its just that they need strong defenses."

"Exactly what I thought," Athena agreed. "But we'll give some tips to Poseidon later."

"Seeing as he's such a Kelp Head," Ares finished for her, and they both chuckled. "Oh, what about the strategy for the demigods?"

"Percy's plan was actually good," said Athena, making a face. Ares grinned at her expression.

"So we're sticking to what the punk will do?" he asked. "What is he doing anyway?"

"Yeah," she replied. "With a few modifications. You'll see in the coming chapters. I know you'll get bored if you hear twice. Lets move on. Next, Typhon."

The two gods grimaced.

"I hate to say this," said Ares. "But a strategy for Typhon? Nothing's gonna work. You know it."

Athena nodded her acceptance and Ares continued.

"We'll just have to have Hades and Poseidon helping as well. Nothing else can be done about that."

"Yeah," sighed Athena.

"So that's it," said Ares.

"For now," Athena agreed.

They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Ares found himself staring at Athena's beautiful, serene face, realizing she actually wasn't as stuck up as he thought she was. Athena looked up into his flame filled eyes curiously.

"Did you care for Aphrodite as more than a… you know…?"

"A need fulfiller as she calls it?" asked Ares bitterly.

"Uh, yeah," Athena replied, a little uncomfortable.

"I don't know. Sometimes, it felt like my affection went deeper than that. Sometimes, I could see how shallow our relationship was, and how it was equally both of our fault. Her feelings for me were not deep, hardly pure. Sometimes it felt like I cared for her more than she did. I don't know," he shrugged. "This relationship stuff is messy."

Athena found herself feeling sorry for him. She took one of his large hands into her small, slender one.

"You should seriously get into a serious relationship sometime, you know. With someone who returns _deep _feelings for you. Maybe a mortal. But love is important."

Ares scowled and shook his head. "Love will soften me."

"You need a little bit of softness. You're way too harsh."

Ares shrugged. "I'm the god of war. That's my job"

"And I'm the goddess of war. I'm not as austere as you."

"That's because I'm better," said Ares smugly.

Athena's nostrils flared. One thing she couldn't stand was someone insulting her pride. "That's what you think."

"That's what I know."

"Is that a challenge?"

The god of war smiled egoistically. "Yeah."

"You're on."

Ares smirked. "Get ready to lose, babe."

* * *

><p>Hermes, despite his initial reluctance, was drawn into making uglyface . com. Along with Apollo, he'd spent hours in front of the computer screen, creating the website. Finally, they were done.<p>

"This is awesome!" Apollo exclaimed, laughing.

"Uglyface – for all those monsters called ugly faces to prove that they rule!" Hermes burst out, laughing along with his brother. The website looked something like this –

**UglyFace – For all those monsters called ugly faces to prove that they rule!**

***New to UglyFace? Sign up here! | Already a member? Sign in | Home | News in the monster world | Chat | Friend Finder | Match maker | Games | Stories | Videos | Music | Blog | Show your awesomeness | Competitions | Help | Preferences**

**Home – UglyFace**

**Hey there, Monster!**

**Welcome to UglyFace. Tired of being bossed around by gods and titans? You've come to the right place!**

**On UglyFace, you can interact with other monsters (want a girlfriend? Or just someone to talk to? Don't forget to check out the Friend Finder and Match Maker!), stay up to date on monster news, play games (such as Rule the World – an interactive game where you and your monster friends can take the place of Zeus and his snobbish god council, or Eat the Demigods – where you not only see demigods being pulverized, but can taste and smell it too!), listen to music (We will, we will, eat you! Doesn't that always remain our favourite?), read and post stories about your and other monsters' adventures, post and watch videos, post your own blog, show your awesomeness by posting your deeds, your plans for the future, your accomplishments, what you're doing for Kronos, etc., take part in competitions, and lots more!**

**We especially recommend the Show your awesomeness section of our website where you can talk about how amazing you are. Remember, the most awesome monsters are the ones who're important to Kronos, so don't forget to post what Kronos has made you do/ will make you do/ or his strategies, etc. **

**Also, in this time when we've got so much of technology but not enough for monsters, communication is hard. You can chat about everything using the Chat here! Don't worry, everything is untraceable and unreadable for anyone but you and the person you're chatting with!**

**Freak out, 'mazing monsters!**

**~ H and A ~**

The two of them cracked up once again as they read through the homepage introduction again.

"Freak out, 'mazing monsters!" Apollo yelled.

"Friend Finder!" Hermes screamed. "Like on _FaceBook_!"

"And don't forget the Match Maker!" Apollo cackled.

The two of them glanced at each other again and then fell down to the ground guffawing, holding their splitting sides.

"Why did you put the last bit there, Herm?" Apollo gasped.

Hermes shrugged and between laughs, managed to choke out, "Dunno. Felt like it."

"I've lost my mind," Apollo grinned.

"I knew that already," Hermes chuckled.

* * *

><p>Finally, the gods and demigods were assembled in the throne room again.<p>

"We're progressing really slowly," Persephone commented. "Like, Chapter 7 or something, right? Out of twenty three."

"Don't worry," said Athena. "We'll buck up. Before we start, I have an announcement."

"Go ahead," said Zeus.

"Ares and I have decided on battle strategies," she said. "We'll share them when the time comes. Also…"

"HERMES AND I MADE UGLYFACE!" Apollo interrupted.

"It is so awesome!" Hermes exclaimed. Everyone looked at each other in relief. The messenger of gods was finally back to normal.

"Can we check it out?" asked Thalia.

"Later," said Athena. "Right now, we read."

Apollo pouted. "C'mon, Athena, don't be so mean!"

"Who wants to read?" asked Athena, ignoring her brother.

"You suck," Apollo declared. Athena just rolled her eyes at him.

"I'll read," Nico shrugged. "I won't have to read later then."

Athena snapped her fingers and the book changed into Ancient Greek again. "Go ahead."

Nico cleared his throat dramatically and received a punch on the shoulder from Thalia.

"Ow!"

"Start already!"

"Fine," he grumbled. "**My Maths teacher gives me a lift**"

"My Maths teacher?" asked Percy. "How does she fit in here?"

**We emerged in Central Park just north of the Pond. Mrs. O'Leary looked pretty tired as she limped over to a cluster of boulders. She started sniffing around, and I was afraid she might mark her territory, **

Hera scrunched up her nose in distaste at that. "That would mean a huge river of dog pee. Eew."

**but Nico said, "It's okay. She just smells the way home."**

"The way home," said Aphrodite.

"Sounds like Mrs. O'Leary's going to be visiting me," said Hades, frowning.

**I frowned. "Through the rocks?"**

**"The Underworld has two major entrances," Nico said. "You know the one in L.A."**

**"Charon's ferry."**

**Nico nodded. "Most souls go that way, but there's a smaller path, harder to find. The Door of Orpheus."**

"Ah, Orpheus," Persephone sighed wistfully. Hades glared at her.

**"The dude with the harp."**

Persephone and Apollo scowled at her. "He had a lyre, not a harp," said Persephone disdainfully. "And you should've said the charming dude with the lyre. He was sooo awesome!"

"Dude, don't you know the difference between a harp and a lyre?" said Apollo scornfully.

"Uh, sorry," was Percy's only reply.

**"Dude with the lyre," Nico corrected. "But yeah, him. He used his music to charm the earth and open a new path into the Underworld. He sang his way right into Hades's palace and almost got away with his wife's soul."**

Persephone sighed again and Hades glared at her.

"Don't you wish he'd taken you instead of his own wife?" Demeter asked her daughter.

"I know, Mom. Who wouldn't? He was _so _cute!"

Hades glowered at the two of them and Aphrodite looked at them, bemused.

"I smell jealousy…"

"Shut up, Aphrodite."

**I remembered the story. Orpheus wasn't supposed to look behind him when he was leading his wife back to the world, but of course he did. It was one of those typical "and-so-they-died/the-end" stories that always made us feel warm and fuzzy.**

Athena shook her head. "Curiosity killed the cat."

Ares laughed. "That's coming from the goddess of wisdom? Interesting."

**"So this is the Door of Orpheus." I tried to be impressed, but it still looked like a pile of rocks to me. **

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Of course it does. You're way too dimwitted."

**"How does it open?"**

**"We need music," Nico said. "How's your singing?"**

Thalia and Annabeth cracked up. Everyone else looked at them in confusion.

"What's so funny?" asked Artemis.

"Percy's singing!" Annabeth giggled.

"Its more likely to cause an avalanche than open Orpheus' door. Trust me, I've heard him when –"

"THAT'S IT THALIA!" Percy screamed, not wanting his friend to finish that sentence. "I'll continue!"

He snatched the book from Nico and continued reading at the top of his voice.

**"Um, no. Can't you just, like, tell it to open? You're the son of Hades and all."**

"Shut up, Percy!"

**"It's not so easy. We need music."**

"Percy, SHUT up!"

**I was pretty sure if I tried to sing, all I would cause was an avalanche.**

"He agrees with me here!"

"PERCY, SHUT UP!" Nico screamed, finally having had enough. He clamped his hand on Percy's mouth and took the book back. "I'm reading. Gee, I would've gone deaf if you continued screeching like that."

**"I have a better idea." I turned and called, "GROVER!"**

Dionysus sat up slightly at that. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed Grover. He was a satyr and it was fun to bully him.

Nico continued.

**We waited for a long time. Mrs. O'Leary curled up and took a nap. I could hear the crickets in the woods and an owl hooting. Traffic hummed along Central Park West. Horse hooves clopped down a nearby path, maybe a mounted police patrol. I was sure they'd love to find two kids hanging out in the park at one in the morning.**

**"It's no good," Nico said at last.**

**But I had a feeling. My empathy link was really tingling for the first time in months, which either meant a whole lot of people had suddenly switched on the Nature Channel, or Grover was close.**

Hephaestus snorted. "Fat chance that the first one happens. But empathy links aren't too reliable, Percy."

"I wish it would, though," said Demeter sadly.

**I shut my eyes and concentrated. **_**Grover.**_

**I knew he was somewhere in the park. Why couldn't I sense his emotions? All I got was a faint hum in the base of my skull.**

_**Grover, **_**I thought more insistently.**

_**Hmm-hmmmm, **_**something said.**

Annabeth gasped. "He's responding!"

**An image came into my head. I saw a giant elm tree deep in the woods, well off the main paths. Gnarled roots laced the ground, making a kind of bed. Lying in it with his arms crossed and his eyes closed was a satyr. At first I couldn't be sure it was Grover. He was covered in twigs and leaves, like he'd been sleeping there a long time. The roots seemed to be shaping themselves around him, slowly pulling him into the earth.**

_**Grover, **_**I said. **_**Wake up.**_

_**Unnnh**_**—**_**zzzzz.**_

_**Dude, you're covered in dirt. Wake up!**_

_**Sleepy, **_**his mind murmured.**

"Enchiladas," said Annabeth. "Tell him you've got loads. I bet he'll wake up."

_**FOOD, **_**I suggested. **_**PANCAKES!**_

**His eyes shot open. A blur of thoughts filled my head like he was suddenly on fast-forward. The image shattered, ****and****I almost fell over.**

Annabeth, Thalia and Percy grinned.

"He's a useless satyr," Zeus mumbled.

"No, he isn't," Thalia disagreed. "But Grover will remain Grover."

**"What happened?" Nico asked.**

**"I got through. He's . . . yeah. He's on his way."**

**A minute later, the tree next ****to****us shivered. Grover fell out of the branches, right on his head.**

Hestia smiled and shook her head. This satyr was clumsy but endearing.

**"Grover!" I yelled.**

_**"Woof!" **_**Mrs. O'Leary looked up, probably wondering if we ****were****going to play fetch with the satyr.**

Poseidon chuckled. His son had his ability of thinking random thoughts.

**"Blah-haa-haa!" Grover bleated.**

**"You okay, man?"**

**"Oh, I'm fine." He rubbed his head. His horns had grown so much they poked an inch above his curly hair. "I was at the other end of the park. The dryads had this great idea of passing me through the trees to get me here. They don't understand **_**height **_**very well."**

Thalia smiled. Their furry goat friend was naïve as ever.

**He grinned and got to his feet—well, his **_**hooves, **_**actually. Since last summer, Grover had stopped trying to disguise himself as human. He never wore a cap or fake feet anymore. He didn't even wear jeans, since he had furry goat legs from the waist down. His T-shirt had a picture from that book **_**Where the Wild Things Are. **_**It was covered with dirt and tree sap. His goatee looked fuller, almost manly (or goatly?), and he was as tall as me now.**

"Whoa," said Annabeth. "He's grown."

**"Good to see you, G-man," I said. "You remember Nico."**

**Grover nodded at Nico, then he gave me a big hug. He smelled like fresh-mown lawns.**

**"Perrrrcy!" he bleated. "I missed you! I miss camp. They don't serve very good enchiladas in the wilderness."**

Hera rolled her eyes. "Men, of whatever species it may be, are eternally obsessed with food."

All the women nodded their agreement.

**"I was worried," I said. "Where've you been the last two months?"**

**"The last two—" Grover's smile faded. "The last **_**two months? **_**What are you talking about?"**

**"We haven't heard from you," I said. "Juniper's worried. **

"More like she's out of her mind worrying about him and half-crazed with fear," Annabeth corrected.

**We sent Iris-messages, but—"**

**"Hold on." He looked up at the stars like he was trying to calculate his position. "What month is this?"**

**"August."**

**The color drained from his face. "That's impossible. It's June. I just lay down to take a nap and . . ." He grabbed my arms. "I remember now! He knocked me out. Percy, we have to stop him!"**

**"Whoa," I said. "Slow down. Tell me what happened."**

**He took a deep breath. "I was . . . I was walking in the woods up by Harlem Meer. And I felt this tremble in the ground, like something powerful was near."**

Hermes smiled sadly. This satyr had his son's spirit in him. He could sense stuff like that.

**"You can sense stuff like that?" Nico asked.**

**Grover nodded. "Since Pan's death, I can feel when something is wrong in nature. It's like my ears and eyes are sharper when I'm in the Wild. Anyway, I started following the scent. This man in a long black coat was walking through the park, and I noticed he didn't cast a shadow. Middle of a sunny day, and he cast no shadow. He kind of shimmered as he moved."**

"Morpheus," Zeus realized. "Another minor god against us."

**"Like a mirage?" Nico asked.**

**"Yes," Grover said. "And whenever he passed humans—"**

**"The humans would pass out," Nico said. "Curl up and go to sleep."**

**"That's right! Then after he was gone, they'd get up and go about their business like nothing happened."**

**I stared at Nico. "You know this guy in black?"**

**"Afraid so," Nico said. "Grover, what happened?"**

"Hang on," said Percy. "Morpheus is the god of dreams, not sleep. Shouldn't Hypnos be able to do all of that?"

"Read on," was all that Athena said.

**"I followed the guy. He kept looking up at the buildings around the park like he was making estimates or something. This lady jogger ran by, and she curled up on the sidewalk and started snoring. The guy in black put his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature. Then he kept walking. By this time, I knew he was a monster or something even worse. I followed him into this grove, to the base of a big elm tree. I was about to summon some dryads to help me capture him when he turned and . . ."**

"Grover's become braver," said Annabeth in awe.

**Grover swallowed. "Percy, his face. I couldn't make out his face because it kept shifting. Just looking at him made me sleepy. I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'Just hav ing a look around. You should always scout a battlefield before the battle.' **

Artemis frowned. "He's snooping around for Kronos? I don't like it."

"None of us do," Zeus replied.

**I said something really smart like, 'This forest is under my protection. You won't start any battles here!' **

Everyone laughed at that. The mental image this gave was pretty funny.

**And he laughed. He said, 'You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event, little satyr. I'll just grant you a short nap. Pleasant dreams.' And that's the last thing I remember."**

"The main event," said Ares slowly.

"_And see the world in endless sleep_," Hephaestus quoted from the prophecy.

Aphrodite put two and two together. "He's going to make the world fall asleep!"

Demeter shook her head. "Not the world. That would take too much energy, even for a god. Lets see what happens."

"Well," said Thalia cheerfully. "At least we know this doesn't mean that everyone dies."

Hades sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for that. The amount of work I'd have if everyone died…"

**Nico exhaled. "Grover, you met Morpheus, the God of Dreams. You're lucky you **_**ever **_**woke up."**

**"Two months," Grover moaned. "He put me to sleep for two months!"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what this meant. Now it made sense why we hadn't been able to contact Grover all this time.**

**"Why didn't the nymphs try to wake you?" I asked.**

**Grover shrugged. "Most nymphs aren't good with time. Two months for a tree—that's nothing. They probably didn't think anything was wrong."**

**"We've got to figure out what Morpheus was doing in the park," I said. "I don't like this 'main event' thing he men tioned."**

**"He's working for Kronos," Nico said. "We know that already. A lot of the minor gods are. This just proves there's going to be an invasion. Percy, we have to get on with our plan."**

"We're going to see Percy dip in the River Styx pretty soon" said Annabeth, unsure of how she felt about that.

**"Wait," Grover said. "What plan?"**

**We told him, and Grover started tugging at his leg fur.**

**"You're not serious," he said. "Not the Underworld again."**

**"I'm not asking you to come, man," I promised. "I know you just woke up. But we need some music to open the door. Can you do it?"**

**Grover took out his reed pipes. "I guess I could try. I know a few Nirvana tunes that can split rocks. But, Percy, are you sure you want to do this?"**

**"Please, man," I said. "It would mean a lot. For old times' sake?"**

**He whimpered. "As I recall, in the old times we almost died a lot. But okay, here goes nothing."**

"Well, that's true," said Hermes. "You guys almost die a lot."

**He put his pipes to his lips and played a shrill, lively tune. The boulders trembled. A few more stanzas, and they cracked open, revealing a triangular crevice.**

**I peered inside. Steps led down into the darkness. The air smelled of mildew and death. It brought back bad mem ories of my trip through the Labyrinth last year, but this tunnel felt even more dangerous. It led straight to the land of Hades, and that was almost always a one-way trip.**

Hades smirked. Everyone was so scared of him.

**I turned to Grover. "Thanks . . . I think."**

**"Perrrrcy, is Kronos really going to invade?"**

"Unfortunately, yes," Poseidon sighed.

**"I wish I could tell you better, but yeah. He will."**

**I thought Grover might chew up his reed pipes in anxi ety, but he straightened up and brushed off his T-shirt. I couldn't help thinking how different he looked from fat old Leneus. "I've got to rally the nature spirits, then. Maybe we can help. I'll see if we can find this Morpheus.'"**

Dionysus scowled. "Leneus is annoying."

**"Better tell Juniper you're okay, too."**

**His eyes widened. "Juniper! Oh, she's going to kill me!"**

Aphrodite chuckled.

**He started to run off, then scrambled back and gave me another hug. "Be careful down there! Come back alive!" **

"I hope I do," Percy muttered.

**Once he was gone, Nico and I roused Mrs. O'Leary from her nap.**

**When she smelled the tunnel, she got excited and led the way down the steps. It was a pretty tight fit. I hoped she wouldn't get stuck. I couldn't imagine how much Drano we'd need to un-stick a hellhound wedged halfway down a tunnel to the Underworld.**

Everyone laughed. "Why are you so absurd, Seaweed Brain?"

**"Ready?" Nico asked me. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."**

**He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.**

Nico gulped before he continued. He'd read on when the others bickered and he realized what he was going to do in the chapter. He didn't like it. Now he realized why Athena had been shooting him such distrustful glances.

**I glanced up at the stars, wondering if I would ever see them again. Then we plunged into darkness.**

"You're so dramatic," Apollo commented.

**The stairs went on forever—narrow, steep, and slippery. It was completely dark except for the light of my sword. I tried to go slow, but Mrs. O'Leary had other ideas. She bounded ahead, barking happily. The sound echoed through the tunnel like cannon shots, and I figured we would not be catching anybody by surprise once we reached the bottom.**

**Nico lagged behind, which I thought was strange.**

**"You okay?" I asked him.**

**"Fine." What was that expression on his face . . . doubt? "Just keep moving," he said.**

"He's probably worried about whether this is a good idea" said Persephone.

**I didn't have much choice. I followed Mrs. O'Leary into the depths. After another hour, I started to hear the roar of a river.**

**We emerged at the base of a cliff, on a plain of black volcanic sand. To our right, the River Styx gushed from the rocks and roared off in a cascade of rapids. To our left, far away in the gloom, fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos, the great black walls of Hades' kingdom.**

"You've reached," Thalia breathed. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

**I shuddered. I'd first been here when I was twelve, and only Annabeth and Grover's company had given me the courage to keep going. Nico wasn't going to be quite as helpful with the "courage" thing. He looked pale and wor ried himself.**

"Sorry, dude," said Percy, not wanting Nico to feel insulted.

"No problem," said Nico, inwardly thinking, _I'm the one who's sorry._

**Only Mrs. O'Leary acted happy. She ran along the beach, picked up a random human leg bone, and romped back toward me. **

Annabeth shuddered. "That was… freaky."

**She dropped the bone at my feet and waited for me to throw it.**

**"Um, maybe later, girl." I stared at the dark waters, try ing to get up my nerve. "So, Nico . . . how do we ****do****this?"**

**"We have to go inside the gates first," he said.**

**"But the river's right here."**

**"I have to get something," he said. "It's the only way."**

**He marched off without waiting.**

"Oh," said Hades. He realized what was going to happen. Crap, everyone would be _so _mad.

**I frowned. Nico hadn't mentioned anything about going inside the gates. But now that we were here, I didn't know what else to do. Reluctantly, I followed him down the beach toward the big black gates.**

**Lines of the dead stood outside waiting to get in. It must've been a heavy day for funerals, because even the EZ-DEATH line was backed up.**

"I need more helpers down there," Hades complained.

_**"Woof!" **_**Mrs. O'Leary said. Before I could stop her she bounded toward the security checkpoint. Cerberus, the guard dog of Hades, appeared out of the gloom—a three-headed Rottweiler so big he made Mrs. O'Leary look like a toy poodle. Cerberus was half transparent, so he's really hard to see until he's close enough to kill you, but he acted like he didn't care about us. He was too busy saying hello to Mrs. O'Leary.**

**"Mrs. O'Leary, no!" I shouted at her. "Don't sniff . . . Oh, man."**

**Nico smiled. Then he looked at me and his expression turned all serious again, like he'd remembered something unpleasant. **

"Your face tends to do that to people," said Thalia nonchalantly.

"Shut it."

**"Come on. They won't give us any trouble in the line. You're with me."**

**I didn't like it, but we slipped through the security ghouls and into the Fields of Asphodel. I had to whistle for Mrs. O'Leary three times before she left Cerberus alone and ran after us.**

**We hiked over black fields of grass dotted with black poplar trees. If I really died in a few days like the prophecy said, I might end up here forever, but I tried not to think about that.**

**Nico trudged ahead, bringing us closer and closer to the palace of Hades.**

Annabeth frowned, turning suspicious. "Nico, what the heck are you doing?"

Nico pretended he hadn't heard her and kept reading. He had _so _picked the wrong chapter.

**"Hey," I said, "we're inside the gates already. Where are we—"**

**Mrs. O'Leary growled. A shadow appeared overhead—something dark, cold, and stinking of death. It swooped down and landed in the top of a poplar tree.**

**Unfortunately, I recognized her. She had a shriveled face, a horrible blue knit hat, and a crumpled velvet dress. Leathery bat wings sprang from her back. Her feet had sharp talons, and in her brass-clawed hands she held a flam ing whip and a paisley handbag.**

"Alecto," said Poseidon, surprised. He glared at Hades. "What is going on here?"

**"Mrs. Dodds," I said.**

**She bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."**

**Her two sisters—the other Furies—swooped down and settled next to her in the branches of the poplar.**

**"You know Alecto?" Nico asked me.**

**"If you mean the hag in the middle, yeah," I said. "She was my math teacher."**

**Nico nodded, like this didn't surprise him. He looked up at the Furies and took a deep breath. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."**

Percy turned to Nico slowly and glared at him. "What the Hades are you doing, Nico?"

"Perce – I wasn't going to do it now…" Nico said guiltily, gulping. He looked around, eyes pleading for help. All he got was cold glares.

Thalia took the book. "I'm reading," she announced. "Percy, wait for a while."

**I tensed. "Wait a second, Nico. What do you—"**

**"I'm afraid this is my new lead, Percy. My father prom ised me information about my family, but he wants to see you before we try the river. I'm sorry."**

Percy exploded. "YOU TRICKED ME JUST BECAUSE OF SOME FREAKING INFO ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?"

He lunged for Nico and neither Annabeth nor Thalia tried to stop him. They were pretty mad themselves.

Poseidon was glaring daggers at Hades. "You manipulating, lying, scheming piece of shit," he growled. He stood up and stalked over threateningly to Hades.

"Poseidon, listen to me!" Hades pleaded.

"Oh no, bro," said Poseidon. He was really mad. "I'm not listening to anything."

And he punched him straight on the eye.

At the same time, Percy and Nico were in a fistfight too, Nico trying desperately to defend himself against Percy's vicious punches.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. Percy was way too mad.

"Stop!" yelled Hestia. The atmosphere wasn't supposed to turn so violent. "Zeus, do something!"

Zeus was, in fact, trying to pry off Poseidon from his eldest brother but even Hephaestus and him together couldn't manage it. Apollo and Hermes yanked Percy roughly off Nico.

"Ares! Get your butt over here and help!" Zeus ordered.

"Aww," Ares groaned. "We're finally having some entertainment after so long!"

Zeus looked up briefly to give Ares his signature glare, the one that said '_I'm the king of gods and I have the power to take your powers away if you disobey me so do what I say!'_

Ares sighed and pulled Poseidon off Hades. He thrust him into his throne and along with Hephaestus, grabbed his arms to stop him from getting up.

"Behave!" Zeus thundered. "We're going to read on. Apollo, I think Hades and his son need your help at the moment."

Apollo scowled at them but did as his father told him to.

**"You **_**tricked **_**me?" I was so mad I couldn't think. I lunged at him, but the Furies were fast. Two of them swooped down and plucked me up by the arms. My sword fell out of my hand, and before I knew it, I was dangling sixty feet in the air.**

**"Oh, don't struggle, honey," my old math teacher cack led in my ear. "I'd hate to drop you."**

**Mrs. O'Leary barked angrily and jumped, trying to reach me, but we were too high.**

Poseidon's fists were clenched so hard that the veins showed clearly through his skin. He hated his eldest brother with all his heart right now. **  
><strong>

**"Tell Mrs. O'Leary to behave," Nico warned. He was hovering near me in the clutches of the third Fury.  
><strong>

"You wouldn't hurt her," warned Percy.

"I wouldn't." Nico mumbled his agreement. "I don't know about the Kindly Ones."

****"I don't want her to get hurt, Percy. My father is waiting. He just wants to talk."****

"About what?" asked Hestia acidly.

"You'll see," Hades muttered. "Read, Nico."****  
><strong>**

**I wanted to tell Mrs. O'Leary to attack Nico, but it wouldn't have done any good, and Nico was right about one thing: my dog could get hurt if she tried to pick a fight with the Furies.**

**I gritted my teeth. "Mrs. O'Leary, down! It's okay, girl."**

**She whimpered and turned in circles, looking up at me. "All right, traitor," I growled at Nico. "You've got your prize. Take me to the stupid palace."**

**Alecto dropped me like a sack of turnips in the middle of the palace garden.**

"Humiliating," Ares noted.**  
><strong>

**It was beautiful in a creepy way. Skeletal white trees grew from marble basins. Flower beds overflowed with golden plants and gemstones. A pair of thrones, one bone and one silver, sat on the balcony with a view of the Fields of Asphodel. It would've been a nice place to spend a Saturday morning except for the sulfurous smell and the cries of tortured souls in the distance.**

Demeter shook her head indulgently. "To think my daughter has to bear all _that_..."

"I know, right!"

"Shut up, Persephone. I don't want to hear your complaints. We've got as many flowers as I can stand, okay?"

Persephone continued grumbling under her breath.**  
><strong>

**Skeletal warriors guarded the only exit. They wore tattered U.S. Army desert combat fatigues and carried M16s.**

Apollo grinned despite the atmosphere at the mental image. **  
><strong>

**The third Fury deposited Nico next to me. Then all three of them settled on the top of the skeletal throne. I resisted the urge to strangle Nico. They'd only stop me. I'd have to wait for my revenge.**

"I can barely hear you," said Annabeth, "and I'm like one chair away from you. Be louder."

"Sorry," said Nico. Not only for being nearly inaudible due to the choking guilt, but for everything. He hoped Percy and the others would forgive him. After all this it would suck to lose their friendship and gain their hatred.**  
><strong>

**I stared at the empty thrones, waiting for something to happen. Then the air shimmered. Three figures appeared—Hades and Persephone on their thrones, and an older woman standing between them. They seemed to be in the middle of an argument.**

"An older woman!" said Demeter, insulted.

"Sorry." At the moment, Percy couldn't care less. Fury blinded him, it rang in his ears.**  
><strong>

**"—told you he was a bum!" the older woman said.**

"Agreed," Poseidon declared. It might interest you to know that Japan was going through an earthquake rating 8.1 on the Richter Scale at this moment.**  
><strong>

**"Mother!" Persephone replied.**

**"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!"**

**Hades, one of my least favorite gods, smoothed his black robes, which were covered with the terrified faces of the damned. He had pale skin and the intense eyes of a madman.**

Hades would have glared at Percy if everyone wasn't so mad at him. Instead, he satisfied himself with an injured "Huh."

**"Percy Jackson," he said with satisfaction. "At last."**

**Queen Persephone studied me curiously. I'd seen her once before in the winter, but now in the summer she looked like a totally different goddess.**She had lustrous black hair and warm brown eyes. Her dress shimmered with colors. Flower patterns in the fabric changed and bloomed—roses, tulips, honeysuckle.****

"That's because the summer is my season, the season of flowers. I'm strong then. In the Winter my energy's like, sapped out," Persephone explained. **  
><strong>

**The woman standing between them was obviously Persephone's mother. She had the same hair and eyes, but looked older and sterner. Her dress was golden, the color of a wheat field. Her hair was woven with dried grasses so it reminded me of a wicker basket. I figured if somebody lit a match next to her, she'd be in serious trouble.**

Demeter glowered at Percy and most others grinned. Hermes had a wicked twinkle in his eye and he lit a match and held it next to Demeter's hair. She shrieked and swatted him away. Her expression broke the tense atmosphere and everyone laughed for a bit.**  
><strong>

**"Hmmph," the older woman said. "Demigods. Just what we need."**

**Next to me, Nico knelt. I wished I had my sword so I could cut his stupid head off. Unfortunately, Riptide was still out in the fields somewhere.**

Thalia looked from the periphery of her eyes at Percy. She'd never seen him this mad.**  
><strong>

**"Father," Nico said. "I have done as you asked."**

**"Took you long enough," Hades grumbled. "Your sister would've done a better job."**

"That's so mean!" Hera couldn't help but exclaim.

Hades felt a fresh pang of guilt and his son lowered his head and continued reading quietly. Percy and Poseidon felt a little sorry for him - but they were still furious.**  
><strong>

**Nico lowered his head. If I hadn't been so mad at the little creep, I might've felt sorry for him.**

**I glared up at the god of the dead. "What do you want, Hades?"**

**"To talk, of course." The god twisted his mouth in a cruel smile. "Didn't Nico tell you?"**

"About what?" asked Percy angrily. Hades refused to reply.**  
><strong>

**"So this whole quest was a lie. Nico brought me down here to get me killed."**

**"Oh, no," Hades said. "I'm afraid Nico was quite sincere about wanting to help you. The boy is as honest as he is dense. I simply convinced him to take a small detour and bring you here first."**

"Hades, if anything happens to my son, I swear I'll slay you alive again and again for aeons."

"Gotcha," Hades replied.**  
><strong>

**"Father," Nico said, "you promised that Percy would not be harmed. You said if I brought him, you would tell me about my past—about my mother."**

Persephone's features hardened at the mention of Maria di Angelo. **  
><strong>

**Queen Persephone sighed dramatically. "Can we **_**please **_**not talk about **_**that woman **_**in my presence?"**

**"I'm sorry, my dove," Hades said. "I had to promise the boy something."**

"You're so cheap!" Thalia couldn't help but exclaim. "You used your own _son _for Zeus knows what."

"I don't know," Zeus reminded her.

"Its just an expression!" Thalia snapped, and then checked herself. Fortunately, her dad wasn't offended - much. "Um, sorry."

"I used him to get to Percy," said Hades. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"And I so didn't know that. I was talking about the plan behind it. Why don't you tell us?"

"Nico, read."

**The older lady harrumphed. "I warned you, daughter. This scoundrel Hades is no good. You could've married the god of doctors or the god of lawyers, but **_**noooo. **_**You had to eat the pomegranate."**

"There's a god of doctors?" asked Percy, slightly cooler.

"Asclepius," Apollo informed him. "God of Medicine and Doctors. And there isn't really a god of lawyers, but we've got Themis, goddess of Justice. Now if Persephone wants to marry her..." He grinned, trailing of suggestively.

"NO WAY!" Persephone shrieked, strangling Apollo. Apollo managed to pry her hands off his throat and kept grinning. "Read."**  
><strong>

**"Mother—"**

**"And get stuck in the Underworld!"**

**"Mother, please—"**

**"And here it is August, and do you come home like you're supposed to? Do you ever think about your poor lonely mother?"**

Demeter sighed. "Of course she doesn't. My daughter doesn't care about her poor old mother ever since she's gotten married..."

"That's sad," said Hera sympathetically, being the goddess of marriage, and Persephone groaned.**  
><strong>

**"DEMETER!" Hades shouted. "That is enough. You are a guest in my house."**

**"Oh, a house is it?" she said. "You call this dump a house? Make my daughter live in this dark, damp—"**

"It is a house, Demeter," said Hestia. "But not a home, because none of your hearts are there. So, yeah, your daughter _is _living in Hades' house."

The goddess of agriculture merely scowled.**  
><strong>

**"I told you," Hades said, grinding his teeth, "there's a **_**war **_**in the world above. You and Persephone are better off here with me."**

"Oh, so now you're scared of _war?_" said Ares scornfully.

Zeus glared. "You should be _helping_, not sitting it out like a coward."**  
><strong>

**"Excuse me," I broke in. "But if you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it?"**

Apollo grinned at Percy. "I like the attitude."**  
><strong>

**All three gods looked at me.**

**"Well, this one has an attitude," Demeter observed.**

**"Indeed," Hades agreed. "I'd love to kill him."**

"Hades, if you even dare to _touch_ my son, I swear I'll kill -"

"You'll kill me over and over again for the coming aeons. The message was clear the first time."**  
><strong>

**"Father!" Nico said. "You promised!"**

**"Husband, we talked about this," Persephone chided. "You can't go around incinerating every hero. Besides, he's brave. I like that."**

"Like Orpheus," said Persephone starry eyed. She sighed. Hades glared at her.

"What, now you're all jealous because I have a crush on some other guy? What about you having _kids _with other women? Didn't think this way then, eh?"

Hera smiled at Persephone. The married gods who'd had kids sighed remorsefully.**  
><strong>

**Hades rolled his eyes. "You liked that Orpheus fellow too. Look how well that turned out. Let me kill him, just a little bit."**

"Go ahead," said Dionysus.

"No!" Poseidon yelled. "If you so much as break a hair -"

"Then you will kill me," said Hades in a monotonous tone. "I get it."**  
><strong>

**"Father, you promised!" Nico said. "You said you only wanted to talk to him. You said if I brought him, you'd explain."**

"You wanted to know about your mother, so you let Hades have and kill me?" asked Percy

"Percy, dad promised he wouldn't hurt you. He said he just wanted to talk. I'm really sorry," said Nico sincerely.

"And you were naïve enough to accept that?" asked Percy disbelievingly.

Nico hung his head low. "I trusted my father."

Those words hurt Hades more than anything. He inwardly resolved to become a better father.**  
><strong>

**Hades glowered, smoothing the folds of his robes. "And so I shall. Your mother—what can I tell you? She was a wonderful woman." **

Persephone looked annoyed.

"Cheater," Demeter muttered under her breath.**  
><strong>

**He glanced uncomfortably at Persephone. "Forgive me, my dear. I mean for a mortal, of course. Her name was Maria di Angelo. She was from Venice, but her father was a diplomat in Washington, D.C. That's where I met her. When you and your sister were young, it was a bad time to be children of Hades. World War II was brewing. A few of my, ah, **_**other **_**children were leading the losing side. I thought it best to put you two out of harm's way."**

"Adolf Hitler was your kid?" asked Annbeth. Hades nodded. She thought about it.

"Yeah. You've got lots in common."**  
><strong>

**"That's why you hid us in the Lotus Casino?"**

**Hades shrugged. "You didn't age. You didn't realize time was passing. I waited for the right time to bring you out."**

**"But what happened to our mother? Why don't I remember her?"**

Hades looked at Zeus from the corner of his eyes and the King of gods looked guilty. No one but Athena noticed this exchange.**  
><strong>

**"Not important," Hades snapped.**

_**"What? **_**Of course it's important. And you had other children—why were we the only ones who were sent away? And who was the lawyer who got us out?"**

**Hades grit his teeth. "You would do well to listen more and talk less, boy. As for the lawyer . . ."**

**Hades snapped his fingers. On top of his throne, the Fury Alecto began to change until she was a middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit with a briefcase. She—he—looked strange crouching at Hades's shoulder.**

"She really likes being lawyers and teachers," Persephone supplied.**  
><strong>

**"You!" Nico said.**

**The Fury cackled. "I do lawyers and teachers very well!"**

**Nico was trembling. "But why did you free us from the casino?"**

**"You know why," Hades said. "This idiot son of Poseidon cannot be allowed to be the child of the prophecy."**

"I'd be happy," said Percy wistfully. Then realization dawned upon me. "Hey, you can't kill me!

"Hades -"

"Oh cut it out!" Zeus interrupted him. "We all know the dialogue. Shut up."

**I plucked a ruby off the nearest plant and threw it at Hades. It sank harmlessly into his robe. "You should be helping Olympus!" I said. "All the other gods are fighting Typhon, and you're just sitting here—"**

**"Waiting things out," Hades finished. "Yes, that's correct. When's the last time Olympus ever helped me, half-blood? When's the last time a child of **_**mine **_**was ever welcomed as a hero? Bah! Why should I rush out and help them? I'll stay here with my forces intact."**

"And that'll work so well," said Athena satirically.**  
><strong>

**"And when Kronos comes after you?"**

"See, even _Barnacle Beard's kid _thought of that!"**  
><strong>

**"Let him try. He'll be weakened. And my son here, Nico—" Hades looked at him with distaste. "Well, he's not much now, I'll grant you. It would've been better if Bianca had lived. But give him four more years of training. We can hold out that long, surely. Nico will turn sixteen, as the prophecy says, and then **_**he **_**will make the decision that will save the world. And I will be king of the gods."**

Nico looked shattered as he read that out.

"I'm sorry, son," said Hades. "I don't mean it. You're really good. I just - I'm sorry. And I love you."

Nico looked away. "I'll think about it."

Hades sighed and Hestia and Hera felt really bad for the two of them.

"So _that's _what its all about," said Zeus. "Becoming the king."

"Zeus, I don't want to talk. So lets just continue."

"I'll read it," said Thalia. She could understand how much effort it must take for Nico to repeat all those mean words that his father said.

"Thanks, Thals."

"Yeah."

**"You're ****crazy," ****I said. "Kronos will crush you, right after he finishes pulverizing Olympus."**

"My presence is rubbing off on you, Percy," Annabeth grinned.**  
><strong>

**Hades spread his hands. "Well, you'll get a chance to find out, half-blood. Because you'll be waiting out this war in my dungeons."**

"Hades!" Poseidon growled.

"This won't happen, okay?" said Hades. "Now don't be mad. And Nico, I'm sorry. Remember, holding grudges is a fatal flaw of the children of Hades."

Nico looked at his father evenly. "Apparently, holding grudges is a fatal flaw of Hades himself. So you're no one to talk."

**"No!" Nico said. "Father, that wasn't our agreement. And you haven't told me everything!"**

"Nico," said Athena. "Everything about your mother, well, its there in a few chapters' time. You're going to know, okay?"

The boy cheered up immediately. "Okay."**  
><strong>

**"I've told you all you need to know," Hades said. "As for our agreement, I spoke with Jackson. I did not harm him. You got your information. If you had wanted a better deal, you should've made me swear on the Styx. Now, go to your room!" He waved his hand, and Nico vanished.**

"I'll remember that the next time I make a deal with a god," said Percy.

Athena smiled slightly. "You do."

"I make a deal?"

"Yeah. Lets not spoil the suspense. Read, Thalia."**  
><strong>

**"That boy needs to eat more," Demeter grumbled. "He's too skinny. He needs more cereal."**

There was a chorus of groans.

"Mother, STOP it!"**  
><strong>

**Persephone rolled her eyes. "Mother, enough with the cereal. My lord Hades, are you sure we can't let this little hero go? He's awfully brave."**

"Thank you, Persephone," said Percy gratefully. It felt good that someone was trying to help him out.**  
><strong>

**"No, my dear. I've spared his life. That's enough."**

**I was sure she was going to stand up for me. The brave, beautiful Persephone was going to get me out of this.**

Persephone smiled. "Well, I'm flattered. You're welcome, young hero."**  
><strong>

**She shrugged indifferently. "Fine. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."**

Percy glared. "Oh gee, thanks."**  
><strong>

**"Cereal," Demeter said.**

_**"Mother!" **_**The two women disappeared in a swirl of flowers and wheat.**

Dionysus rolled his eyes. That woman loved cereal way too much.**  
><strong>

**"Don't feel too bad, Percy Jackson," Hades said. "My ghosts keep me well informed of Kronos's plans. I can assure you that you had no chance to stop him in time. By tonight, it will be too late for your precious Mount Olympus. The trap will be sprung."**

"What trap?" Poseidon demanded. "Are you on Kronos' side?"

"NO!" said Hades. "No way. Just, we'll read on, okay?"**  
><strong>

**"What trap?" I demanded. "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods!"**

"Yeah, like that's happening," said Aphrodite, rolling her eyes.**  
><strong>

**Hades smiled. "You are spirited. I'll give you credit for that. Have fun in my dungeon. We'll check on you again in—oh, fifty or sixty years."**

"Hades," Poseidon growled. "This . Better . Not . Happen ."

"It won't, I assure you," said Hades.

"I'll read the next chapter," said Percy.

"Well," said Annabeth. "What are you waiting for, Seaweed Brain? Turn the page already!"

* * *

><p><strong>FINISHED! YES! FINALLY! :D<br>**

**If you guys liked UglyFace, I might just post what the whole website looks like in my mind as a separate oneshot(ish) story. Whatsay? Sorry if that was _lame_.**

**Imma update ASAP!**

**~ITOR  
><strong>


	11. I take the worst bath ever  Completed

***crawls in, ducking* Just read the whole thing - I completed it. You can kill me later.**

* * *

><p><em>"Well," said Annabeth. "What are you waiting for, Seaweed Brain? Turn the page already!"<em>

* * *

><p>"Chapter eight," Percy announced.<strong> "I take the worst bath ever."<strong>

Poseidon clutched his armrests in horror. _"I hope he makes it."_

"Percy's gonna dip in the River Styx!" Annabeth gasped. Her thoughts echoed Poseidon's exactly.

Everyone, even Dionysus, sat up in interest. This would be an engrossing chapter.

**My sword reappeared in my pocket.**

"Awesome!" said Thalia sarcastically. "That is _so _useful now."

**Yeah, great timing. Now I could attack the walls all I wanted. My cell had no bars, no windows, not even a door. The skeletal guards shoved me straight through a wall, and it became solid behind me. **

"How are you going to get out of there?" Hera wondered out loud.

"Maybe he won't," said Dionysus cheerfully.

Poseidon and Annabeth glared daggers at him.

**I wasn't sure if the room was airtight. Probably. Hades's dungeon was meant for dead people, and they don't breathe. So forget fifty or sixty years. I'd be dead in fifty or sixty minutes. Meanwhile, if Hades wasn't lying, some big trap was going to be sprung in New York by the end of the day, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.**

Zeus stared angrily at Hades. His brother was so selfish. The Titans wanted to take over Olympus and here he sat doing nothing at all.

**I sat on the cold stone floor, feeling miserable.**

"Understandable," Aphrodite murmured to herself.

**I don't remember dozing off. Then again, it must've been about seven in the morning, mortal time, and I'd been through a lot.**

**I dreamed I was on the porch of Rachel's beach house in St. Thomas. The sun was rising over the Caribbean. Dozens of wooded islands dotted the sea, and white sails cut across the water. The smell of salt air made me wonder if I would ever see the ocean again.**

Apollo sighed. "Sounds amazing."

**Rachel's parents **

Hermes glanced slyly at Annabeth. "A Rachel Elizabeth Dare dream, huh?"

Percy gave a worried glance to his girlfriend. Annabeth seemed unaffected by Hermes' teasing, something for which he was extremely glad.

"Yeah," she replied evenly. "It must be important. Read on, Percy."

**sat at the patio table while a personal chef fixed them omelets. Mr. Dare was dressed in a white linen suit. He was reading _The Wall Street Journal. _The lady across the table was probably Mrs. Dare, though all I could see of her were hot pink fingernails**

"Ooh! Nice colour choice!" Aphrodite exclaimed. Everyone rolled their eyes.

**and the cover of _Condé Nast Traveler. _**

Athena laughed. "_Condé Nast Traveler?_"

Apollo joined her. "She's reading _about _a vacation when she's _on _a vacation?"

The group chuckled.

**Why she'd be reading about vacations while she was on vacation, I wasn't sure.**

**Rachel stood at the porch railing and sighed. She wore Bermuda shorts and her van Gogh T-shirt. (Yeah, Rachel was trying to teach me about art, but don't get too impressed. I only remembered the dude's name because he cut his ear off.)**

"Vincent Van Gogh," Athena sighed fondly. "He was quite a genius."

"He was quite mad," said Dionysus. "He cut a bit off his earlobe off in a fit when he was mad at his friend Gauguin -"

"Because he thought he was going to desert him!" Athena defended.

"Yeah, whatever," said the wine god dismissively.

"It is such a _cool _story!" Apollo grinned.

"Its creepy," Hermes added, shuddering.

"What was it?" asked Nico, curiosity finally getting the better of him and cutting through his silence. It was all the encouragement Dionysus and Apollo wanted.

"Paul Gaugin was this French artist," Apollo began.

"More correctly, Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin, who was a leading post-impressionist artist," Athena corrected.

"Well," said Thalia, confused. "I'm not much into art. What's post-impressionist?"

"Post-impressionism was the time after the impressionist art period in Europe," Annabeth answered. "The impressionist art period was there in the 19th century. Some French painters started it. Their paintings were pretty different from the Renaissance painters. Impressionist painters tried to capture a sense of excitement in their paintings. They emphasized new compositional devices such as plunging perspective, cropped forms, and compositions balanced asymmetrically. They tried to capture movement. They started painting out of doors and painted normal day to day stuff... like..."

"A garden full of flowers?" Persephone suggested.

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Some painted rural scenes, weathered barns, timber bridges, gardens and old homes while others depicted tidal estuaries, rocky ledges, wooded uplands, and open pastures. They started painting out of doors, or _En Plein Air. _Capturing how light fell became very important. They concentrated a lot on light and shadow. Earlier, only neutral colours and black and grey were used in shadows, but now they started using shades of purple, yellow and other colours to suggest coloured shadows and capture light. Basically, there were a lot of changes... it was a big move away from the Renaissance painting style."

"That's not all! You missed out on a lot, Wise Girl," Percy smirked. "You forgot about pure colour and their stroke style. Rachel told me that earlier, artists used to mix colours in their palettes before applying it on their canvas. Impressionists directly mixed colour from their tin tubes on to the canvas. Actually, if you look closely, all colours were applied separately but somehow it looked fused together, giving the sensation of flickering light and vibrating atmosphere."

Athena looked staggered. Here was a Poseidon child who was actually smarter than he looked! Poseidon took in her expression and smiled smugly.

"Very good, Seaweed Brain," said Annabeth. "And -"

"And," Percy cut in. "The word 'impressionism' was first coined to describe paintings that seemed sketchy and unfinished," Percy continued. "They didn't want the highly furnished surfaces in their paintings, but they rapidly applied bright colours to capture light and atmosphere. She showed me how they applied paint in mosaic like patches which created a rough, irregular surface texture."

"That's called broken colour," said Apollo. "Or broken brushstrokes. Oh, and don't forget about _Impasto._ Basically, impressionists applied paint in thick, raised strokes. This is called impasto. It created a roughened, uneven texture that captured and reflected light and created a rough, unevened texture that often mimicked the texture of the subjects being painted."

Ares was getting unimaginably bored. Art just wasn't something that interested him.

"Thank you for that informative lecture," said he with mock politeness. "MOVE ON!"

"We still haven't answered Thalia's question," said Annabeth.

"I'm wishing I hadn't asked it," Thalia muttered under her breath. Nico heard her and grinned.

"Post impressionists furthered impressionism but rejected its limitations; they still applied thick paint, used vivid colours and distinctive brush strokes, but also emphasized geometric or distorted forms and used arbitrary or unnatural colours," Annabeth explained. "Post impressionism wasn't really a movement, just some artists rebelling. It was a time when art was for the artist's sake and his own interpretation of what he saw."

"Okay that's it," said Artemis. "No more, please. This is getting boring."

"Yeah," Nico agreed. "What was that story you were telling us? The Gogh guy?"

"Vincent van Gogh," Apollo grinned. "Yeah, so, Paul Gauguin was this French painter who van Gogh really liked. He wanted to work with him and be his friend and he finally managed to convince Gauguin to paint with him. They painted loads of paintings –"

"Such as Sunflowers, Decoration for the Yellow House and –"

"Athena! Stop sprouting facts. Let me tell the story!"

"Fine," the goddess of wisdom huffed, insulted.

"They painted all those paintings and more, but started having disagreements. Van Gogh thought he was going to lose Gauguin's friendship."

Athena opened her mouth to say something but everyone glared at her. She sighed crossly and decided to shut up. Dionysus took up the story.

"And then."

The words had such a dramatic effect; the temperature seemed to drop down by a good many degrees. The god of Madness looked into everyone's eyes briefly, purple flame on coloured irises – blue, brown, black, grey, red, sea green and more. There were very few people who didn't shiver at the look they got.

Apollo continued in equal seriousness, almost matching the skills of the god of Theatre.

"It was a usual morning. Vincent was shaving in front of the mirror in his bathroom. And, he heard a voice."

"Kill him," Dionysus whispered spookily. "Kill Paul Gauguin. He's going away from you. You're losing him and he's going to spoil your life. He must die. Kill him!"

"Vincent's eyes glazed over," Apollo continued softly. "He picked up his razor blade and walked down slowly and seeked Paul Gauguin."

Aphrodite shivered. She had goosebumps on her arms. Hephaestus squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

"Gauguin was completely unaware of van Gogh's presence. Suddenly..."

Apollo trailed off and stopped for a dramatic pause.

"What?" Thalia whispered, curious and though she wouldn't admit it, slightly scared.

"There was a blade at Gauguin's throat," Dionysus whispered back, his voice seeming strained. "Van Gogh was going to kill him. Gauguin wanted to scream but he was afraid that he'd get hurt if he moved. He moaned, his voice muffled."

"Something in Vincent snapped. With horror, he realized what he was about to do. He let go of Paul, who fled from there," Apollo narrated solemnly. "Vincent went back to his room, feeling dazed. Suddenly, it hit him. _He was about to _murder _his best friend._"

"He was overcome with guilt and shame," the other narrator said, taking up the story. "He felt like his life was going to end. He put the wretched blade to his throat to put an end to his existence, but lost courage. Instead, slash!"

Dionysus made a rapid slashing motion at his earlobe that frightened everyone. "He cut off his earlobe!" Dionysus exclaimed loudly. His volume rose as he continued speaking. "Fountains of blood gushed out of the place where van Gogh's earlobe used to be."

A few people shuddered disgustedly. Ares looked excited.

"Now this is awesome! What next?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Well, the blood flowed and flowed. Van Gogh put a clean towel on his ear, let it become completely blood soaked, and then chucked the soiled towel on the floor. He kept on doing this. Soiled towels kept being thrown on the floor, the blood oozing out..."

"Stop stop!" Demeter exclaimed. "That's graphic enough. Move on."

Dionysus and Apollo permitted themselves small grins before Apollo continued.

"In a frenzy, Vincent searched for his earlobe on the floor."

"Gross!" Hestia exclaimed, disgusted.

"His ear was still bleeding. He picked up his earlobe, washed it and wrapped it up in a cloth. Blood dripping on the floor, he staggered and limped forward and walked to a nearby brothel where he'd once met a prostitute..."

Apollo grinned as Dionysus took up the story. "He called for the prostitute and she came. He told her he had a gift for her and gave her the wrapped up package. The poor girl opened it, saw the severed ear -"

The god of Theatre was cut off by a chorus of 'eew', 'gross', sick' and 'disgusting'.

"And you know what?" he continued, only to interrupted by an overexcited Apollo this time.

"The prostitute's name was Rachel!"

For a few moments, everyone with the exception of the two narrators were speechless. The two of them were guffawing loudly. Thalia and Nico began to grin. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades looked at the laughing gods, then at each other, and began to laugh. Artemis looked miffed that a maiden was being insulted in such a way and Aphrodite giggled, making Hephaestus smile at her. Ares was too obsessed with the gory bit to care about this funny revelation and Hestia and Persephone suppressed small smiles. Athena was looking around at the laughing people in disgust, and Annabeth was speechless. Hera and Demeter seemed to share Artemis' thoughts. Hermes was laughing shamelessly along with his brother and Percy, on his part, looked mortified.

"Why are you silent?" Artemis snapped at Percy. "Continue reading! It'll shut them up."

"Right," said Percy, immediately realizing the truth in her words. He began reading at the top of his voice.

**Then the scene changed. I was in St. Louis, standing downtown under the Arch. I'd been there before. In fact, I'd almost fallen to my death there before.**

That caught Poseidon's attention and shut him up.**  
><strong>

**Over the city, a thunderstorm boiled—a wall of absolute black with lightning streaking across the sky. A few blocks away, swarms of emergency vehicles gathered with their lights flashing. A column of dust rose from a mound of rubble, which I realized was a collapsed skyscraper.**

"This sounds bad," said Demeter grimly.

"Very bad," Persephone agreed.**  
><strong>

**A nearby reporter was yelling into her microphone: "Officials are describing this as a structural failure, Dan, though no one seems to know if it is related to the storm conditions."**

**Wind whipped her hair. The temperature was dropping rapidly, like ten degrees just since I'd been standing there.**

"Oh," said Annabeth, realizing what the 'storm' was.**  
><strong>

**"Thankfully, the building had been abandoned for demolition," she said. "But police have evacuated all nearby buildings for fear the collapse might trigger—"**

**She faltered as a mighty groan cut through the sky. A blast of lightning hit the center of the darkness. The entire city shook. The air glowed, and every hair on my body stood up. **

"My master bolt," Zeus realized.

By now, everyone was listening attentively.**  
><strong>

**The blast was so powerful I knew it could only be one thing: Zeus's master bolt. It should have vaporized its target, but the dark cloud only staggered backward. A smoky fist appeared out of the clouds. **

"Typhon," breathed Percy.

"Congratulations, Sherlock," said Thalia sarcastically.

Percy ignored her comments and continued reading. **  
><strong>

**It smashed another tower, and the whole thing collapsed like children's blocks.**

**The reporter screamed. People ran through the streets. Emergency lights flashed. I saw a streak of silver in the sky—a chariot pulled by reindeer, but it wasn't Santa Claus driving. **

"Santa Claus?" asked Artemis, enraged, and Apollo burst into peals of laughter.

"I'm sorry!" Percy squeaked.

"Read," Zeus commanded before the squabble could turn into a fight.**  
><strong>

**It was Artemis, riding the storm, shooting shafts of moonlight into the darkness. **

"Better," the goddess huffed.**  
><strong>

**A fiery golden comet crossed her path . . . maybe her brother Apollo.**

"Ha! I look like a comet and you look like Santa Claus!"

Artemis slapped her brother on the arm.

"Oww!"**  
><strong>

**One thing was clear: Typhon had made it to the Mississippi River. He was halfway across the U.S., leaving destruction in his wake, and the gods were barely slowing him down.**

"Doesn't sound good," said Aphrodite darkly.**  
><strong>

**The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed, _"Percy!"_**

**I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.**

"Don't you dare!" Hades threatened.

"Oh, yeah? Who are you to issue a warning?" Poseidon glared.

Hades didn't reply.**  
><strong>

**"Want . . . to . . . rescue," he choked.**

**Anger woke me up fast. "Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?"**

**"No . . . choice?" he gagged.**

Thalia grinned. "That's logic."**  
><strong>

**I wished he hadn't said something logical like that. I let him go.**

"I'm sorry, Percy," said Nico earnestly. "I really am."

"Let me read," Percy replied curtly.**  
><strong>

**Nico curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. Finally he got to his feet, eyeing my sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. I suppose if he'd wanted to kill me, he could've done it while I slept. **

"Exactly!" said Nico.

**Still, I didn't trust him.**

**"We have to get out of here," he said.**

**"Why?" I said. "Does your dad want to _talk _to me again?"**

**He winced. "Percy, I swear on the River Styx, I didn't know what he was planning."**

"Be careful about swearing on the River Styx, boy," Zeus warned. "It isn't something to be taken lightly."

"Zeus, he's _my _son. Those values have been well instilled in him. And anyway, I wasn't going to tell him about the whole plan."

**"You know what your dad is like!"**

Hera looked at her brother sternly. "You better tighten up as a better dad."

"You're the one who stops us from visiting our kids," Hades pointed out.

**"He tricked me. He promised—" Nico held up his hands. "Look . . . right now, we need to leave. I put the guards to sleep, but it won't last."**

Thalia chuckled. "He's right again."**  
><strong>

**I wanted to strangle him again. Unfortunately, he was right. We didn't have time to argue, and I couldn't escape on my own. He pointed at the wall. A whole section vanished, revealing a corridor.**

**"Come on." Nico led the way.**

**I wished I had Annabeth's invisibility hat, but as it turned out, I didn't need it. Every time we came to a skeleton guard, Nico just pointed at it, and its glowing eyes dimmed. **

"He's good," Hades murmured to himself. "I underestimate him..."

**Unfortunately, the more Nico did it, the more tired he seemed. We walked through a maze of corridors filled with guards. By the time we reached a kitchen staffed by skeletal cooks and servants, I was practically carrying Nico. He managed to put all the dead to sleep but nearly passed out himself. I dragged him out of the servants' entrance and into the Fields of Asphodel.**

**I almost felt relieved until I heard the sound of bronze gongs high in the castle.**

**"Alarms," Nico murmured sleepily.**

**"What do we do?"**

**He yawned then frowned like he was trying to remember. "How about . . . run?"**

"Fight!" Ares groaned. "This is so boring."

"We'd get killed if we fight," Percy pointed out.

Ares shrugged. "Do you think I care?"

"I though you wanted to be the one to kill me."

The god of war reconsidered. "Actually, yeah. On second thoughts, just run."

**Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a three-legged race with a life-size rag doll. **

Hestia chuckled. The way Percy described things was very amusing.

**I lugged him along, holding my sword in front of me. The spirits of the dead made way like the Celestial bronze was a blazing fire.**

**The sound of gongs rolled across the fields. Ahead loomed the walls of Erebos, but the longer we walked, the farther away they seemed. I was about to collapse from exhaustion when I heard a familiar _"WOOOOOF!"_**

**Mrs. O'Leary bounded out of nowhere and ran circles around us, ready to play.**

**"Good girl," I said. "Can you give us a ride to the Styx?"**

**The word _Styx _got her excited. She probably thought I meant _sticks. _She jumped a few times, chased her tail just to teach it who was boss, and then calmed down enough for me to push Nico onto her back. **

Artemis smiled, her eyes softening slightly. Some beasts were so innocent and uncorrupted. It was rare to find them, and heartwarming to see them.

**I climbed aboard, and she raced toward the gates. She leaped straight over the EZ-DEATH line, sending guards sprawling and causing more alarms to blare. Cerberus barked, but he sounded more excited than angry, like: _Can I play too?_**

**Fortunately, he didn't follow us, and Mrs. O'Leary kept running. She didn't stop until we were far upriver and the fires of Erebos had disappeared in the murk.**

**Nico slid off Mrs. O'Leary's back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.**

**I took out a square of ambrosia—part of the emergency god-food I always kept with me. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.**

**"Uh," he mumbled. "Better."**

**"Your powers drain you too much," I noted.**

**He nodded sleepily. "With great power . . . comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."**

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then, the room burst into laughter while Nico chuckled and scratched his head awkwardly.

"That is worthy of being added to my book of great quotations," Athena smiled.

"You have a book of great quotations?" asked Percy disbelievingly, trying to keep a straight face.

Athena glared at him dangerously. "So? I'm the goddess of wisdom."

"I get to be featured in Lady Athena's Great Quotes book?" said Nico excitedly.

Athena smiled at him. "Yes, young one."

Nico grinned. "One more point for me," he muttered under his breath to Percy.

"Oh shut up."

**"Whoa, zombie dude." I caught him before he could pass out again. "We're at the river. You need to tell me what to do."**

Percy stammered the sentence out. In seconds, the airy atmosphere in the room vanished. It was tight and tense, holding its breath, waiting to how the Son of Poseidon would get through this.

**I fed him the last of my ambrosia, which was a little dangerous. The stuff can heal demigods, but it can also burn us to ashes if we eat too much. Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. Nico shook his head a few times and struggled to his feet.**

**"My father will be coming soon," he said. "We should hurry."**

**The River Styx's current swirled with strange objects—broken toys, ripped-up college diplomas, wilted homecoming corsages—all the dreams people had thrown away as they'd passed from life into death. Looking at the black water, I could think of about three million places I'd rather swim.**

"We must face our fears to acquire strengths," Athena preached.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean you have to like it," Poseidon pointed out.

**"So . . . I just jump in?"**

"Fool!" Hades couldn't help but screech. "You'll die!"

**"You have to prepare yourself first," Nico said, "or the river will destroy you. It will burn away your body and soul."**

**"Sounds fun," I muttered.**

**"This is no joke," Nico warned. "There is only one way to stay anchored to your mortal life. You have to . . ."**

"Think of your Achilles heel," Persephone completed.

**He glanced behind me and his eyes widened. I turned and found myself face-to-face with a Greek warrior.**

**For a second I thought he was Ares, because this guy looked exactly like the god of war—tall and buff, with a cruel scarred face and closely shaved black hair. He wore a white tunic and bronze armor. **

"Who wears that anymore?" said Ares, rolling his eyes.

"It's a classic," Aphrodite disagreed.

"You don't argue about fashion with the goddess of love and beauty," Hephaestus chuckled.

**He held a plumed war helm under his his eyes were human—pale green like a shallow sea—and a bloody arrow stuck out of his left calf, just above the ankle.**

**I stunk at Greek names, but even I knew the greatest warrior of all time, who had died from a wounded heel.**

"I don't know what I'd think if you didn't know him," Zeus said. "That's terrible even for Poseidon's kid."

"Hey!"

**"Achilles," I said.**

**The ghost nodded. "I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you."**

"Luke," Hermes murmured.

**"Luke? You spoke with Luke?"**

**"Do not do this," he said. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortal's, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."**

**"You mean I'll have a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense."**

Everyone stared at Percy disbelievingly. He began to feel uncomfortable. "What?"

"You're impossible!" Hera exclaimed. "How - oh my gosh!"

She held up her hands in exasperation.

"Huh?"

"Just read on."

**He stared down at his bloody foot. "The heel is only my _physical _weakness, demigod. My mother, Thetis, held me there when she dipped me in the Styx. What really killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!"**

"Thank you," Hermes murmured quietly to Achilles. He'd tried to save Luke. He'd warned him.

**He meant it. I could hear the regret and bitterness in his voice. He was honestly trying to save me from a terrible fate.**

**Then again, Luke had been here, and he hadn't turned back.**

That was true. There was a glitch. Luke hadn't turned back.

**_That's _****why Luke had been able to host the spirit of Kronos without his body disintegrating. This is how he'd prepared himself, and why he seemed impossible to kill. He had bathed in the River Styx and taken on the powers of the greatest mortal hero, Achilles. He was invincible.**

**"I have to," I said. "Otherwise I don't stand a chance."**

**Achilles lowered his head. "Let the gods witness I tried. Hero, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope. No man may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps you mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."**

"How can a river burn you to ashes?" said Dionysus thoughtfully.

"You want to try?" Nico suggested cheekily.

"I'm immortal, you fool!"

"Oh. Right."

**"I don't suppose you could tell me Luke's mortal point?"**

Everyone groaned. Percy looked self-conscious. "Sorry!"

"Only your children can be such _blithering _idiots," said Zeus, turning to Poseidon, who ignored him.

"You know, the word blithering reminds me of blistering," said Apollo. "Blistering barnacles!"

Thalia grinned. "Captain Haddock! Dad actually looks quite like him."

"And he swears like a sailor too," Apollo muttered under his breath, chuckling. Thalia grinned.

"What are you both whispering about?" said Zeus suspiciously.

"You're like Captain Haddock," said Thalia boldly.

Percy and Annabeth laughed. Nico looked just as confused as Zeus, who made a mental note to find out who this Haddock was.

**He scowled. "Prepare yourself, foolish boy. Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!"**

"And you should see him when he's drunk," Apollo hissed to Thalia as Percy read. "It deserves to go on HephaestusTube."

Thalia giggled silently.

**With that happy thought, he vanished.**

**"Percy," Nico said, "maybe he's right."**

**"This was _your _idea."**

**"I know, but now that we're here—"**

**"Just wait on the shore. If anything happens to me . . . Well, maybe Hades will get his wish, and you'll be the child of the prophecy after all."**

"Harsh," Hestia murmured to herself.

**He didn't look pleased about that, but I didn't care.**

**Before I could change my mind, I concentrated on -**

"Oh!" Percy gulped. "I'm - I do it here."

Everyone was quiet.

"Read on!" Dionysus urged him gleefully.

"NO!" Poseidon roared.

Everyone stared at him. Poseidon looked livid. "It will remain his secret."

"Oh come on," Dionysus groaned.

"Seriously, what will we do while he reads that?" Ares whined, supporting Dionysus.

Poseidon glowered at them. "Whatever you have against my son, I will _not _let you know his Achilles spot."

Percy suddenly realized that these were the gods that would like him dead.

"I agree with Poseidon," said Athena, surprising everyone. "Annabeth can read it, though."

"Love, love, love," Aphrodite smiled.

"No, actually," said Athena. "Annabeth could turn against Percy anytime -"

"Mom!"

"-And put him in danger -"

"I wouldn't!"

"But well... she already knows," Athena finished, ignoring her.

"I do?" asked Annabeth, confused.

"Yeah," Percy murmured. He had read on. His face was pale except for his cheeks which were red.

"Let me read," said Annabeth.

"No!" Percy exclaimed, but Annabeth paid no attention. She snatched it from him.

** the small of my back—a tiny point just opposite my navel. It was well defended when I wore my armor. It would be hard to hit by accident, and few enemies would aim for it on pur pose. No place was perfect, but this seemed right to me, and a lot more dignified than, like, my armpit or something.**

Annabeth sniggered. Typical of Percy to think like that.

**I pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting me to the world from the small of my back. And I stepped into the river.**

Annabeth bit her lip in the suspense. Everyone else was staring at her, jealous.

**Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understand ing what it felt like to swim in the Styx. I planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched my legs, my muscles turned to jelly and I fell face-first into the current.**

**I submerged completely. For the first time in my life, I couldn't breathe underwater. I finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in my body burned. I was dissolving in the water. I saw faces—Rachel, Grover, Tyson, my mother—but they faded as soon as they appeared.**

Annabeth's brow furrowed in concern as she read on.

**"Percy," my mom said. "I give you my blessing."**

**"Be safe, brother!" Tyson pleaded.**

**"Enchiladas!" Grover said. I wasn't sure where that came from, but it didn't seem to help much.**

She chuckled softly at that. Oh dear Grover...

**I was losing the fight. The pain was too much. My hands and feet were melting into the water, my soul was being ripped from my body. I couldn't remember who I was. The pain of Kronos's scythe had been nothing compared to this.**

A cry of no escaped her lips.

"What is it?" said Zeus irritably. He was grumpy that information was being withheld from him.

Annabeth shook her head and read on.

**_The cord, _****a familiar voice said. _Remember your lifeline, dummy!_**

**Suddenly there was a tug in my lower back. The current pulled at me, but it wasn't carrying me away anymore. I imagined the string in my back keeping me tied to the shore.**

She sighed, relieved.

**"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily."**

Annabeth found herself colouring slightly. Percy glanced at the bit she was reading and looked the other way, red in the face. He was muttering something she couldn't comprehend.

**The cord strengthened.**

**I could see Annabeth now—standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I'd fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.**

Annabeth's blush grew stronger.

**"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."**

**Memories came flooding back to me—sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.**

"Go on, read out loud now," said Annabeth, pushing the book to Percy. She was read.

"I want to know what that was!" Thalia whined.

"I think I know," said Aphrodite knowingly and the look on her face was so smug that Percy and Annabeth believed her.

**Suddenly I burst out of the river. I collapsed on the sand, and Nico scrambled back in surprise.**

"You made it." Dionysus sounded bored.

Artemis seemed impressed. "Congrats."

**"Are you okay?" he stammered. "Your skin. Oh, gods. You're hurt!"**

**My arms were bright red. I felt like every inch of my body had been broiled over a slow flame.**

**I looked around for Annabeth, though I knew she wasn't here. It had seemed so real.**

"Annabeth," everyone chorused teasingly while Aphrodite squealed. "I was right!"

The couple blushed hard.

**"I'm fine . . . I think." The color of my skin turned back to normal. The pain subsided. Mrs. O'Leary came up and sniffed me with concern. Apparently I smelled really interesting.**

**"Do you feel stronger?" Nico asked.**

**Before I could decide _what _I felt, a voice boomed, "THERE!"**

**An army of the dead marched toward us. A hundred skeletal Roman legionnaires led the way with shields and spears. Behind them came an equal number of British redcoats with bayonets fixed. In the middle of the host, Hades himself rode a black-and-gold chariot pulled by nightmare horses, their eyes and manes smoldering with fire.**

"You'd look so cool in a war," Ares grudgingly admitted. Hades smirked.

**"You will not escape me this time, Percy Jackson!" Hades bellowed. "Destroy him!"**

Cries of indignant 'no's were heard all around.

**"Father, no!" Nico shouted, but it was too late. The front line of Roman zombies lowered their spears and advanced.**

**Mrs. O'Leary growled and got ready to pounce. Maybe that's what set me off. I didn't want them hurting my dog. Plus, I was tired of Hades being a big bully. **

"Hey! I'm no bully!"

**If I was going to die, I might as well go down fighting.**

**I yelled, and the River Styx exploded. A black tidal wave smashed into the legionnaires. Spears and shields flew everywhere. Roman zombies began to dissolve, smoke coming off their bronze helmets.**

"Whoa," said Hermes. "That thing is more amazing than acid. I need to get a little bit of it..."

"Where would you store it?" Hephaestus snorted. "The water would eat it away."

"Good point," said Hermes thoughtfully.

**The redcoats lowered their bayonets, but I didn't wait for them. I charged.**

**It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. **

"Which is saying a lot," Hera added.

**A hundred muskets fired at me, point blank. All of them missed. I crashed into their line and started hacking with Riptide. Bayonets jabbed. Swords slashed. Guns reloaded and fired. Nothing touched me.**

**I whirled through the ranks, slashing redcoats to dust, one after the other. My mind went on autopilot: stab, dodge, cut, deflect, roll. Riptide was no longer a sword. It was an arc of pure destruction.**

**I broke through the enemy line and leaped into the black chariot. Hades raised his staff. A bolt of dark energy shot toward me, but I deflected it off my blade and slammed into him. The god and I both tumbled out of the chariot.**

**The next thing I knew, my knee was planted on Hades's chest. I was holding the collar of his royal robes in one fist, and the tip of my sword was poised right over his face.**

There was amazed silence all around the table. Then, everyone with the exception of Hades, Nico and Persephone began to clap. Nico grinned at Percy. Persephone bit back a smile and Hades looked outraged. The 'Ha-Ha-A-Demigod-Beat-You-And-You-Soooooo-Need-To-Have-More-Cereal' look Demeter was giving him didn't help with his mood.

"Read on," Thalia muttered to Percy.

**Silence. The army did nothing to defend their master. I glanced back and realized why. There was nothing left of them but weapons in the sand and piles of smoking, empty uniforms. I had destroyed them all.**

**Hades swallowed. "Now, Jackson, listen here. . . ."**

"He's scared of you," Annabeth grinned, hiding her face.

**He was immortal. There was no way I could kill him, but gods can be wounded. I knew that firsthand,**

Ares scowled.

** And I figured a sword in the face wouldn't feel too good.**

**"Just because I'm a nice person," I snarled, "I'll let you go. But first, tell me about that trap!"**

**Hades melted into nothing, leaving me holding empty black robes.**

Hades smirked. There, some of his dignity was back.

"Coward," Zeus muttered.

Poseidon couldn't have looked prouder.

**I cursed and got to my feet, breathing heavily. Now that the danger was over, I realized how tired I was. Every muscle in my body ached. I looked down at my clothes. They were slashed to pieces and full of bullet holes, but I was fine. Not a mark on me.**

"Whoa," said Percy.

"Yeah, this is going to leave you tired," said Athena.

"No, I was marveling at what I did."

"Oh get over it!"

**Nico's mouth hung open. "You just . . . with a sword . . . you just—"**

**"I think the river thing worked," I said.**

Most people rolled their eyes.

"Really?" said Thalia sardonically.

**"Oh gee," he said sarcastically. _"You think?"_**

**Mrs. O'Leary barked happily and wagged her tail. She bounded around, sniffing empty uniforms and hunting for bones. I lifted Hades's robe. I could still see the tormented faces shimmering in the fabric.**

**I walked to the edge of the river. "Be free."**

"MY ROBE!" Hades thundered. Everyone shut their ears.

"Shut up," Demeter snapped.

Percy took advantage of the moment to continue.

**I dropped the robe in the water and watched as it swirled away, dissolving in the current.**

**"Go back to your father," I told Nico. "Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what's going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help."**

**Nico stared at me. "I . . . I can't. He'll hate me now. I mean . . . even more."**

Hades' anger turned into a guilty look.

**"You have to," I said. "You owe me too."**

**His ears turned red. "Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please . . . let me come with you. I want to fight."**

**"You'll be more help down here."**

**"You mean you don't trust me anymore," he said miserably.**

Nico looked at the ground. He didn't know if Percy trusted him. Or Annabeth. Or Thalia. He'd just lost his only friends.

**I didn't answer. I didn't know what I meant. I was too stunned by what I'd just done in battle to think clearly.**

"Hey, dude, chill. I trust you," said Percy, only slightly resentfully.

"Seriously?" Nico exclaimed.

"Well...to be frank, not completely," Percy admitted. "But I know it isn't your fault completely..."

Nico broke into a wide grin. "Thanks, Perce."

**"Just go back to your father," I said, trying not to sound too harsh. "Work on him. You're the only person who might be able to get him to listen."**

**"That's a depressing thought." Nico sighed. **

"Seriously," he muttered.

**"All right. I'll do my best. Besides, he's still hiding something from me about my mom. Maybe I can find out what."**

**"Good luck. Now Mrs. O'Leary and I have to go."**

**"Where?" Nico said.**

**I looked at the cave entrance and thought about the long climb back to the world of the living. "To get this war started. It's time I found Luke."**

"It ends here."

Hermes stared at the walls.

"Do we want a break or are we continuing?" said Apollo.

"One more chapter, and then we'll chill."

To his surprise, it was Hermes.

Athena nodded. "Okay."

"I want to see what happens," Hermes muttered to Apollo. "And I don't want to give people time to dwell on things, _yet. _And anyway, we'd better hurry if we want to get through this book."

"You're right."

"I'll read the next chapter."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't get pissed at me...I was originally gonna finish up the explanation of the delay and the thanks for so many chapters due but something personal just happened and its killing me. I just want to say thank you for your endless patience and reviews. I love you guys. <strong>

**~ Sandra  
><strong>


	12. This story is up for adoption

**I feel so bad about doing this.**

**Your Guide To The Titan War: The Last Olympian was my first story, and my most successful story at that.**

**It breaks my heart to put it up for adoption.**

**But I've got to do it. There's no way I can update this anymore. I'm so, so sorry, guys. I've left you without an update for like, one year, and now this...**

**I'm so sorry. But with school the way it is, I can't. 10th grade has brought with it a huge scarcity of time.**

**So for this to be continued, I'm giving the story out.**

**If you want to adopt the story, PM me. Keep in mind that:**

**1. You should be able to update at least once in two weeks (hypocritical, eh?).  
><strong>

**2. There are a lot of reviews on the story which I don't want to lose, so I'll be putting up the story from my account. Obviously, all credits will go to you, everywhere. I'll mention it on every chapter, in the description, everywhere.  
>3. I may do a chapter or two in between, if I ever find time.<br>**

**If you're interested, please PM me. Thanks.  
><strong>

**~ ITOR**


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